A Wave in the Night
by SappyGemstone
Summary: A spell from an unknown source has wiped out nearly every nation! Disguised as human, an unlikely crew - America, China, England, Germany, Italy, Russia and Ukraine - seek the source of the spell in the hopes of discovering how and why the other nations have disappeared. But the creator of the spell is still out there, searching for the countries it missed...
1. Chapter 1

Hello, hello! I keep thinking I'm finished with Russia, but he keeps giving me stories to tell :) I very highly recommend reading any and all of my other stories for a complete characterization and history of events - I often pull in references to other stories. However, I think this one will be a little more stand-alone than the others I've written. I have no plans for any major OCs (though I may bring in Queen Elizabeth, because I love her). I love reviews and critique (so long as it's constructive!), and I will respond to questions, if asked. After this one, I believe I'll delve back into history, as I think I'm wandering further and further from the canon the more I add to my Russia series, and I don't want to go too far.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

"How can it be that you have gained such skill," Russia said, bemused. His hand hovered over the chess pieces for a moment, then dropped in his lap. "I believe you have mated me."

Emma beamed. She reached out and toppled Russia's king. "I have a lot of time on the other side," she said, maneuvering the pieces back to their starting points. "Nothing but time. Of course I've been practicing."

The park was as it was when they first met: old men grumbling among themselves at the tables, children calling out to each other as they kicked their football back and forth, the constant whir of traffic, the breeze rustling the leaves. Russia looked up at a sky filled with perfect, cotton ball clouds and sighed.

"This dream is a good one," he muttered. "It has been a long time since I've seen the sky."

Emma looked up from the board. "How long has it been since I've seen you last? Time flows a bit differently on my side of things."

"A year." Russia returned his gaze to her and grinned. "I would almost believe that you are real, the way you ask such questions."

Emma threw up her hands. "For the last time, I'm as real as you, Russia," she said, exasperated. "I'm just dead!" Her features settled into a more pensive look. "So you've been locked up for fifteen years now? Are they ever going to set you free?"

Russia's face went blank. He shrugged and settled back in his chair. "I am sure someday I will have a boss who believes I am...rehabilitated. A boss whose memory of the Event is hazy, or nonexistent. But so long as the world remembers..." Russia shrugged and smiled. "Who wants a country who nearly destroyed the world to walk free? I have heard Canada is having similar...complications."

"That's not good."Emma's face flickered with worry. Clouds covered the sun, casting a shadow over the park. "There's a reason I'm visiting tonight. If you have no way to leave your cell, then I'm going to have to cut things short so you can prepare yourself."

Russia narrowed his eyes and sat up straight. "What do you mean?"

Emma opened her mouth. She looked strained, as if the words would not come. The people in the park disappeared as one. Wind whipped up, thrashing the trees. Russia glanced quickly around the dreamscape, then reached across the table and took Emma by the shoulders.

"What do you wish to tell me?" He looked her in the eye. "Come on, Emma."

Emma gasped. "Something is trying to block the warning!" She shook her head. "This is big! Everyone on this side with a direct connection to the nations...Russia, you have to prepare...protect..." Her words refused to leave her lips. She gave Russia a grim frown and knocked the chess set from the table. The trees exploded into flame, casting cinders and ash over Russia and Emma. Russia yelped as they burned his skin, releasing Emma to shake them off. Emma did not flinch. She spread the ash thin over the table and with a finger wrote IT'S COMING. PROTECT YOURSELF.

* * *

Russia jerked awake, sweating and gasping for breath. He flung his covers aside, turned on his lamp and tumbled out of bed. The platinum manacles around his wrists jingled. He jiggled his arms, repositioning them on his wrists.

"Something to write with," he muttered, quickly rising to his feet and running a hand through his hair, grown long and shaggy during his incarceration. He ran to his desk and paused. There were no pens, as he did most of his writing on his tablet. Chalks and paints and pencils he also did not have, as he was not given to artistic endeavors of a visual nature. He slammed a hand on his desk. "I should have taken Ukraine's offer to teach me to draw. How the hell will I create a circle?"

He searched his room with his eyes: 5 meters by 5 meters, a large bed set up against the west wall with a chest of drawers set at its foot, the north wall lined with book cases, the east holding his desk, a round cherry wood table and two upholstered armchairs at the center of the room, the south wall holding more shelves of books and also games, as well as the exit. An idea clicked.

He picked up his tablet and scrolled through his contacts. "Family first," he muttered, selecting Ukraine, putting the tablet on speaker and tossing it on the bed. He moved one of the chairs out of the way. Ukraine's muffled, sleepy voice echoed around the room.

"Russia?" She yawned. "It is one in the morning!"

"It is three here, sister," he countered, moving another chair and quickly the table. "Come to me. Now. Do not bother with official channels. Walk to my room."

"What? What on earth are you saying?" Ukraine's voice swiftly grew cranky. "That could cause a national incident! For both of us!"

"I do not care." He began throwing books from his shelves onto the floor. "Were you by chance having a bad dream?"

"I...well, yes," she said, confused. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Russia dropped to his knees and began arranging the books into a large circle. "Just come as quickly as you can. I - "

China appeared in front of the door. Startled, Russia stopped arranging his books.

"Don't stop!" China snapped, dropping to the floor and creating a circumference of books. "Don't you feel that energy snapping at you? We don't have much time!"

"Who is that?" Ukraine said.

"China," Russia replied, still surprised.

"What?" And Ukraine was there, synching a dressing robe around her waist. "What are you doing here?"

"Hurry, hurry!" China placed the last book in the circle. "Get inside!"

"But I have more people to call -"

"Not enough time!" China grabbed both Ukraine and Russia by the arm and pulled them into the circle. "Quickly! Activate it, Russia!"

Russia nodded and closed his eyes, casting the protection spell. A band of white light rose from the circle of books just as a wave of power slammed against the light. Russia gasped at the strength of the power and shuddered. The light flickered.

"Hold it back!" China cried. "Come on, I know you have enough strength to do it!"

Russia steeled himself, and the light grew steady. The wave of power pummeled the circle for what felt like hours before finally receding into the chaos from which it came. Russia sagged to the floor.

"Catch his head, catch his head," he heard China cry before he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Lady Tara opened her eyes and blinked. She gazed across the abandoned warehouse at her acolytes kneeling in the giant spell circle drawn in the center of the floor. Where once over 190 black-robed men and women filled the circle, now there were only 33 interspursed between piles of dust. She tsked.

"I expected less for for the first wave," she said irritably. "Many warnings must have been heeded. No matter. Let us try again."

She closed her eyes and settled in her chair, breathing deep as she tapped into her borrowed power.

* * *

A splash of water revived England with a start. He sputtered and jerked to a sitting position, wiping at his face. Germany, America and Italy leaned over England, all looking concerned.

Germany set a ming vase, formerly filled with water, next to England. "So he is alive," he said gravely. "That's good news."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Italy grabbed England's hand. "I thought you might have died!"

"Come on, bro." America took England by the arms and helped him to his feet. "Upsy daisy! Wow, whatever that was, it packed a wallop!"

"Indeed." England shook his head to chase away the muzziness. "The power necessary to keep it at bay was such that I'm not surprised that it knocked me cold."

Germany eyed him, his face like stone. "What exactly was that, then? It felt like something trying to rip me to pieces."

"I'm not exactly sure." England pushed off America and staggered to his bookshelf. He fingered his books, at a loss of where to start searching for information. "I woke up from a nightmare, compelled to create the protection circle. That is all I know as of now."

"A nightmare's why I'm here, too," America said, somewhat sheepishly. "I know it sounds stupid, but, like...there was this girl I used to know..." He blushed and stopped.

"And you two as well?" England said, waving a hand at Germany and Italy.

"I admit I had a nightmare, but I brushed it off," Germany said slowly. He pointed at Italy. "Until he barreled into my room and forced me here. I was set to be very irritated, but it looks like he may have...saved...me..."

"I had to! You're my best friend!" Italy flung his arms over Germany. "And my dream was so nasty, with Grandpapa all upset and all sorts of terrible things happening and -"

"Yes, well." Germany shook Italy off gently. "Thank you."

England's tablet began to ring, startling them all. England picked it up from the desk and answered it. China's face appeared on screen.

"Oh good!" China beamed at England. "I knew that of the magic makers in the world, you had one of the greatest chances of survival. I am pleased to know that I was right."

"The pleasure, believe me, is all mine." England crossed his arms. "And where are you?"

"At Russia's." China pointed behind him, where Russia sat in the book circle and shook his head as Ukraine attended to him. "Unfortunately, only the three of us are here. There are surely more with you?"

"Unfortunately, no." England waved his hand around the room. "America, Italy, Germany and myself. I have no idea if anyone else survives." He looked pointedly at Germany. "Perhaps too many people are too logical to listen to bad dreams."

"Survives?" Germany looked dazed. "What exactly happened?"

"Someone just cast a truly terrifying spell aimed at the nations," China said placidly. "A spell strong enough for the dead to warn the living. I imagine that this spell no doubt caused some death."

America, Italy and Germany shared a look of shock.

England set his lips in a grim line. "China, chatting over the phone is impractical. Please join us in my study."

"Not possible," Russia called out, holding up his manacled hands. "You have bonded me to my land, remember?"

"Drat." England glanced around at the other nations. "Come along to Russia's."

The nations walked, appearing in the soft twilight of Russia's cell. Russia pulled himself to his feet and smiled.

"Welcome, everyone," he said cheerfully. "So nice to have visitors, even under such unpleasant circumstances."

"Russia, have you considered a haircut?" Germany deadpanned.

"Not a necessary part of incarceration," Russia shot back, his dark blue eyes flashing.

"Enough," China said, waving his hand in a cutting motion. "We must discuss what are next actions will be."

"Well, you say that this was something that could have killed some nations," America said slowly. "Should we put out a call and see who answers?"

"I think it would be quicker to contact known magic users," England said shortly. "People would have gathered with them if they listened to their warnings."

"I know some of the African nations still practice magic," Russia said thoughtfully. "Or at least did fifteen years ago."

"There's some South American nations, I think...maybe Brazil?" America said with a shrug.

"Well, let's start with a list, and then -"

"Wait." China held up a hand. A hush fell over the group as a crackling sensation filled the air. "Everyone into the circle, quickly! Another attack is coming!"

"That is hardly a circle," England cried.

"Just get in," America snapped, pulling his brother over the books. The rest of the nations followed.

Russia closed his eyes, activating the protection spell just as the wave of power washed over them. He shook, fighting against the strength of the spell pushing back at him. It tugged and grasped at the nations, threatening to consume them. Russia gasped and opened his bright, glowing eyes. "I cannot hold it back!"

"Right." England grabbed Russia's hand and closed his eyes. Instantly Russia felt relief as they combined their strength. Together they kept up the barrier, and finally the wave of power dissipated. And together they fell to their knees breathing heavily.

* * *

Lady Tara looked up once more from her spell.

"Seven left!" She smiled. "Excellent. One more go at it won't hurt us, I think."

* * *

There was a moment of silence.

"How many times will this happen?" Germany whispered.

"Until the spell castor is finished," China replied grimly.

"But where on earth did this creature find such power?" England croaked. "To do such heavy spells, twice in a row-"

"We can hold the barrier a few more times," Russia said quietly, cutting England off. "But eventually we will falter."

"Ah." America grimaced. "My boss is calling me."

"Mine, too," Germany said, patting his chest. "He has been calling since the last wave."

"Mine as well," Ukraine said. "Which makes sense. I can't imagine what is happening to the other nations. That spell feels terrifying."

"Forget the bosses," China said, stepping over the books. "We must figure out a way to protect ourselves from the spell. Don't move! You may need to be within the circle at any moment!" He knocked on the door. "Excuse me! I need assistance!"

"What are you thinking, China?" Russia's voice had an edge to it.

"Don't worry, Russia, I will be gentle. Ah!" The door opened, revealing the night guard. He glanced around the room at the other nations, surprised. "Sorry about this." Lightening quick, China pulled the guard into the room and wrapped the him in a choke hold. The guard struggled for a moment before passing out. China lowered him to the floor, removed a knife from his coat pocket and slit the guard's palm open. Russia glowered at China. "Again, I assure you, he will come to no serious harm."

"Then explain exactly what you are doing to my citizen," Russia snapped, moving to step over the circle.

"I said don't move." China let the blood pool in the guard's hand for a moment, then spilled it into his own palm. He rose and quickly entered the circle. "The spell is targeting nations, and nations only." He placed a thumb into his palm and smeared a line of blood on Ukraine's forehead. She gasped and shuddered with disgust. "We must hide from the spell." He marked a cringing Italy with blood. "What better way to hide than as human?"

"But that's impossible," England sputtered as China marked him, and moved to Germany. "A nation cannot become human! It simply isn't possible! Even if it was possible, the repercussions would be tremendous!"

"We cannot become human, true," China said as he reached up and smeared Germany's forehead. "But we can wear a human mask. Walk around in human skin. The spell will be looking for nations, after all, not humanesque countries." He lifted himself on his toes to reach Russia.

Russia shied away, cocking a brow. "This is not exactly white magic."

"No, of course not," China said matter of factly, jumping a bit to mark Russia's forehead. "But you are not one to judge others on dark spells. And be happy I'm willing to do this one. I am supposed to be renouncing everything mystical in favor of rationality." He marked his own head, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and brought his hands together.

The circle lit up again, this time as a warm orange glow. A not-unpleasant tingling sensation covered each nation. Slowly the tingling intensified, becoming more like needle pricks.

Ukraine trembled and took hold of Russia's hand. "I have never been fond of magic," she muttered. Russia gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

A warm wind swirled around the nations, buffeting their nightclothes and hair. The glow softened and disappeared as the wind died down.

China opened his eyes. "It's done."

"Really?" Germany looked at his hands. "I don't feel any diff-"

The wave of power hit then, but while they could feel the strength of the spell crackling past them, lapping at them, seeking them, it passed them by.

* * *

Lady Tara's eyes snapped open. She scowled.

"They've gone into hiding. Rise!" Her acolytes jumped to their feet and removed their hoods. Lady Tara's frown deepened. "China. Of course. Italy, that is a surprise. Germany, England, America, not quite so surprising but still irksome. Russia! That bastard. What doesn't he survive? And Ukraine! Well."

She rose to her feet and motioned to the acolytes. "Come on then, come on. We had hoped this would not happen, but still, that's why we make plan Bs, right?"

The acolytes left the giant spell circle and lined up in front of her. She reached down and grabbed up a large leather satchel and stood in front of the first acolyte. "Huumph. Italy. Really." She opened the satchel, pulled out a long, thin dagger and handed it to her acolyte. "This is quite a bit messier, as you know. Much more room for error, but it can't be helped if they've gone underground." She continued passing out the daggers, matching dagger with acolyte. "Each dagger should have enough power to accomplish the goal in hand. Thrust it in the heart - the heart, mind you! - to activate the spell. Remember, it is drawing from your life force, and once the country is gone, you shall be dust."

The final acolyte took her dagger. As one, they said "Yes, Lady Tara."

"Now go and find them." She waved them away. The acolytes bowed and scurried off. She watched them go, nodding approvingly. "Won't be long now," she said, settling into her chair.


	3. Chapter 3

As the wave of power dissipated once more, Russia's manacles slipped from his hands and fell to the floor with a clank. He rubbed his wrists absent-mindedly, his physical freedom dwarfed by a sensation that he had never felt before - an empty stillness within. Gone was the constant struggling within his heart and mind as different political factions and views, government and people, fought to rule him. As always he could feel his own emotions, his own heart, his own pain, but for the first time in his life he was alone in his mind.

Echoing his awe of this sensation, America, eyes wide, placed a hand on his head and said, "It's so quiet!"

England picked up the manacles and stared at them. He frowned at China. "I cast a rather powerful charm on these, sir."

China gave England a small smile and took the manacles from him. "Of course the spell on these was counteracted," he said after a quick examination. He handed the manacles back to England. "Just like the spell that attacked us, it is aimed at Russia the country, not Russia the man."

Germany paced the floor, pressing a hand against his chest. "I can't feel my people. It's very freaky!"

"I agree," Ukraine said, prodding China in the side. "What exactly did you do to us?"

"Nothing too complicated." China shrugged. "I simply brought our actual, physical forms to the forefront of our beings."

He glanced around at the confused nations and sighed. Crossing over the book circle, he sat gracefully in one of the armchairs.

"We are not humans, correct? But we are built like humans - same physical system, same mental capacities, etcetera. Since we are basically human in form, I've enhanced that human aspect of ourselves and placed it on the surface while forcing our nationhood deep inside. Our humanity is acting as a shell for our nationhood. This shell is currently blocking anything that can link to our nationhood - our citizens' desires, our governments' desires, our boss' calls. And the shell is also blocking anything that may try to attack our nationhood. If anyone wants to attack us now, they'll have to do so through more conventional means."

"Blood," Russia said, looking up from his wrists. "They will need our blood to attack our physical bodies with a spell."

"Yes." China smiled. "And unless any of you has recently donated to a blood bank, I think we are safe from that type of attack. For now. Of course, they could still attack us physically - guns, knives, and so on. Don't worry, you will not die. You're still nations, after all! However." He steepled his hands. "I don't think you'll heal as quickly as usual. I recommend not being attacked."

"If you've blocked us from our link to our people," England said slowly, walking to the table and placing the manacles on its surface, "then you've blocked us from any advantages we may gain from our people. Are you saying we can no longer walk wherever our people have been?"

"You'll have to travel the human way, yes," China said with a shrug.

"Everyone's speaking English!" Italy cried, snapping his fingers. "I wondered why everyone sounded so silly. You all have bad accents!"

"Speak for yourself, Italy," Germany grumbled.

"Yes, you can thank me for that," China said. "You can no longer understand other languages just because one of your people picked it up at some point. Unless you put in the effort to actually learn the language at some point in your very long lives, you won't understand any language foreign to you. But I...fiddled a bit and made sure we could at least have one common language between ourselves. I thought English would be the easiest, since two of our group are native speakers."

England narrowed his eyes. "You certainly thought things through quickly."

China's smile widened. "When you are as old as I am, you learn to think quickly during a crisis."

The door slammed open, startling the nations. A large woman in a silk robe, breathing heavily from a recent run, entered the room, followed by six bodyguards and eight soldiers. She walked determinedly to Russia, pushing Italy out of her way, looked up at the tall nation and placed her hands on her hips.

"Who are these people," she snapped.

Russia dipped his head and gave her a sheepish grin. "These are other nations, madam president," he replied. "I assume you are unfamiliar with them because they visit me so infrequently. Aside from Ukraine, that is." He nodded toward his sister.

The president gave him a hard look, then sagged and leaned against him. "Thank goodness you're still here," she said, her voice filled with relief. "I've received the most terrifying news. Every nation on Earth has disappeared!" She glanced around the room. "Well, almost every nation. Ecuador vanished right in front of his president. Simply had a look of shock and pain, and was gone! Can you imagine?"

Ukraine gasped and glanced up at her brother.

"I absolutely can imagine," Russia continued with a smile. "But I am safe for now."

"And I will continue to keep you safe." The president recovered herself, drawing herself up to her full height. "I have a full detail ready to guard you from any harm! We will keep you safe and sound within your cell."

"If you please, madam, I don't think it's the best idea for Russia to remain here." China lifted from the chair and gave the president a stiff bow.

"Who is this?" The president said, voice short.

"Ah. That would be China," Russia said easily. "And I think he is right. There were many spells cast in this area. Whoever caused the other countries to disappear will be seeking any sign of strong protective magic. It will lead them straight here."

"And we'll be waiting for them," the president said shortly, waving a hand in dismissal. "I cannot command the other nations in this room but you, at least, will stay here."

Russia cocked his head, his smile growing wide. "No. I think not," he said, reveling at the lack of pain that came with those words. "I believe, for my safety and the safety of my people, I shall leave. I will not subject the guards to the skills of my attackers."

The president gave him a hard look. "You'd best not be going rogue on me now. Not after so long."

"He is not rogue, he is simply telling truth," Ukraine said haltingly, her Russian stiff with disuse.

"Is that so?" The president snapped.

Ukraine frowned and set her chin. "Madame, I think we are the only countries left." The president paled. "The people attacking the nations will come for us. We know what they are capable of. We must flee, with Russia, as soon as possible, or risk an attack that will finish us all."

The president searched the faces of the nations. A decision flicked in her mind, and she nodded.

"Come along." She walked quickly out of the cell with her entourage. Russia, Ukraine and China followed close behind. The others glanced at each other.

"What the hell did they say?" America asked.

"I have no idea," England snapped, annoyed. "I never studied Russian."

"Well, I guess we should follow them at least," Germany said sternly, hurrying from the room. "Let's put two and two together." Italy, America and England followed him, catching up with the rest of the group.

"Russia, I choose to trust you," The president said briskly as they walked through the halls of the Kremlin. "I've heard tales of your insubordination, but you've never given me a reason to fear you. And Ukraine vouches for you. So what do you need?"

Russia was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?" He said finally.

"You are going to flee in the night, disappearing for an unknown amount of time. You must want more than your underwear."

Russia glanced down at himself, realizing for the first time that he was barely dressed, and that the other nations fared no better. "Clothes would be good," he said weakly.

The president snapped her fingers. As she spoke, soldiers broke off from the group and hurried away. "Petrovich, I want standard civilian wear found for all of our guests here. Ivanovna, I want full civilian travel gear, the usual, packed in duffel bags and ready to go. You'll need money, of course. Svyetoslavich, contact the bosses of the following nations - Russia, who do we have here?"

"Uh, China, Ukraine, England, America, Italy, Germany - "

"You heard him. Contact those nations' bosses, say that their people are safe and need funds set aside in special, untraceable accounts as well as the means to access those funds. I'll contact the bosses personally to assure that their people are well. Anything else you can think of?"

"Passports," China said quickly. "None of us have had the need for them before, but I believe they will be useful now."

"Fake passports for each nation?" The president smiled. "Do you have any difficult requests?"

Russia thought for a moment and smiled. "A haircut."

* * *

Two hours later, freshly dressed and groomed and prepped and supplied, the nations were at Sheremetyevo International Airport waiting to board a plane to Peru, the first of many planes they were to board in the next few days. It was America's idea.

"We need to hop around a bit," he explained. "Make our trail as cold as possible, then settle somewhere unexpected." He gave the others a toothy grin. "Then we can go after 'em. Real counterterrorist style, ya get it?"

Germany rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say..." he grabbed up America's passport and flipped to his picture. "'Alfred Jones.' Couldn't think of something better?"

"Hey, give that back!" America struggled with Germany for a second, then stop, surprised. "Woah. I must be sick or something! You should be on the ground by now!"

"We're blocked from our national powers remember?" England said coolly, hiding his passport and his equally bland name choice from view. "You'll be just as strong as any human of your shape and build."

Germany perked up. "Is that so!"

England smiled, his eyes brightening. "It is."

America jerked his hand away and backed off. "Okay, guys, no hard feelings, right? I mean, the past is the past, even if I pounded you pretty good in the past, right?"

Germany and England pounced, and the three nations devolved into a wrestling match on the airport floor.

"Everyone is always so mean," Italy mumbled in Italian, tearing up a bit.

"They're just having fun," China replied, also in Italian. "Surviving sudden death does that to people."

Ukraine watched the other nations' antics, amused. "Well, little brother, it seems we are going on an adventure."

"It seems so," Russia replied placidly. "Though I wish my adventures would stop bringing death to the people I love."

"Ah." Ukraine was silent for a moment before placing a hand on Russia's shoulder. "They may not be dead. Disappeared is not the same as dead."

Russia gave Ukraine a knowing smile. "It almost always means death in my experience." He patted Ukraine's hand. "But thank you for trying to cheer me up. Um. What name did you choose to go by?"

Ukraine pulled her hand away and shrugged. "Maria or Sofia or some such. It doesn't matter. I can take my passport out and check..."

"No need."

Ukraine narrowed her eyes. She studied her brother. "And you?"

"Ivan." He turned toward the window to hide his face. Ukraine always had a knack for guessing what was on his mind. He did not want her to see his glee to be free from the cell, free from the constant tug of his people and his boss. And he did not want her to see the guilt that so many of his friends (well, he still considered them friends) had to die to give him the opportunity to do what he never thought possible: run away. The guilt sat in his stomach like a rock, but even still his blood fizzed with excitement.

He could feel his sister's critical eye on the back of his head. He gave her a quick glance and smile, and turned back toward the window. "I have always liked that name."


	4. Chapter 4

Three figures in black crept through the darkened hallways of England's London townhouse. Silence filled the house - it had the distinct feeling of being unoccupied.

Adelina leaned up against the wall, her Beretta 92fs out and ready. "Two guards at the front, none within." She snorted. "They aren't expecting England back any time soon, Mei."

"Of course not," Mei whispered. "But that's not why we're here. Will, are the remnants of magic use close?"

Will nodded. "Down the hallway a little more, the room to the right."

Mei glanced quickly around, then motioned to Adelina. Adelina slid down the wall and gently pushed the door to England's study open. She turned quickly into the room, aiming the Beretta at any potential threat.

"All clear."

Mei nodded to Will, and they followed after Adelina. Will searched through the pockets of his cargo pants and pulled out a small flashlight. He flicked it on and searched the floor.

"This was the protection spell," he said, kneeling and brushing the edges of England's hastily drawn circle. "It's a little over a day old, now. It's the most powerful spell cast in this house for quite a while. The residue from the other spells feels musty." He looked up at Mei. "It's also the only spell that's been cast in the last few days. One very strong protection spell."

Mei frowned and touched her earpiece. "No luck here, Oleg," she said shortly. "We have a protection spell, but no sign of any other magics and no sign of the nations. Please tell me you have found a better lead."

Across the continent, Oleg smiled and touched his earpiece. "Oh, yes, much better."

"Did you have trouble entering the Kremlin?"

"Jennifer took care of any problems we may have encountered." Oleg glanced at the tiny blond girl, her eyes glowing white as she sat cross-legged on the floor in Russia's cell. "She's made sure everyone in the building is sleeping peacefully."

"Three major spells were cast here," Jennifer said, her voice a monotone. "Two protection spells. One...I'm not sure what it is. A...masking spell, maybe? Whatever it is, it was done by a master."

A pleased voice came over the comlink. "Oleg, you'll want to come up to the security station. I have a present waiting for you."

Oleg touched his earpiece. "On our way, Stephan." Oleg nodded to Jennifer. The girl hopped up, eyes still glowing, and they exited the cell. "Are you doing okay, Jen?"

The girl shrugged. "No biggie. It's just a sleeping spell, and the highway makes a natural circle around central Moscow. So long as I'm tapped into the power source, I can do this all day."

"Still a bit freaky, Jenny." They walked the long corridors of the Kremlin, made quiet by Jennifer's enforced sleep. Elena stood outside the entrance to the security station, her face grim. She stood at attention and nodded as Oleg and Jennifer.

"You don't have to be so serious," Oleg said, patting Elena on the shoulder as he passed through the door to security.

Elena jerked away and scowled. "We are the ones who were chosen for the most important mission this world has ever known," she snapped. "I can't imagine anything more serious."

Oleg shook his head. "Suit yourself."

The security station was a large, square room filled with desks and monitors. People slept peacefully at their stations, undisturbed by Jennifer and Oleg's entrance.

Stephan was gleefully watching old security camera recordings on one of the central monitors, fast-forwarding, pausing, and rewinding them, and setting up multiple camera views on multiple monitors. He had rolled the security guard who would normally be running this station into a corner. He didn't look away from his monitors as Oleg and Jennifer came up behind him.

"Look here," he said, pointing at the paused video on one of the monitors. It showed Russia's cell from above with Russia sleeping in his bed. "They kept a constant watch on him. Convenient for us, ja? Watch this."

He played the video in double-time. They watched as Russia leapt from his bed, made his call on his tablet, arranged his circle of books. China appeared suddenly, then Ukraine soon after, and then they were all within the circle, Russia bracing himself. A glow blurred the video.

"That'll be the first protection spell," Jen said, nodding.

Stephan sped up the video, and the figures danced around on-screen for a moment. Suddenly, Italy, England, Germany and America appeared in the shot, moving quickly about before joining the others in the circle and another burst of light blurred the video.

"Second protection spell."

The glow dimmed for a moment, and they watched as China performed his spell. Jennifer narrowed her glowing eyes. "What is he doing?" She muttered. "Something with blood..."

The president made her entrance. Oleg grinned. "Here we go."

"Yeah, the president talks with them for a bit," Stephan said, letting the feed play. "And if you look over here," he pointed at another monitor and pressed play. "You'll see that she leads them off to get prepped for a journey. Over here and over here I've got video of soldiers prepping travel gear. And here, you see the nations leaving the Kremlin." Stephan finally looked away from the monitor, smiling at Oleg. "Good?"

"Da." Oleg tapped the monitor. "Let's make a visit to the president and see what she has to say. But first, pause this video." He pointed at the feed of the cell. "Produce a good image with every nation in shot and hand it off to everyone. Let them know this is the most current picture of the nations that we have. It's invaluable."

Stephan flashed a thumbs up and got to work. Oleg turned and walked quickly from the security station, Jennifer close behind. As he exited, he waved at Elena to follow.

* * *

She was dreaming strange dreams of running through fields of tar when suddenly she awoke to two young women and a young man, dressed completely in black, leaning over her. She gasped and sat up, ready to call out for security.

"Don't bother screaming," the young man said with a smile. "Your security team is safe, and alive, but they are indisposed."

The president gave him a hard look. "What's all this about, then? I've had a very long day putting out fires, and I have a long day tomorrow. I'm not keen on losing any more sleep. Be quick."

The young people shared a glance, and the young man quickly translated for the others.

"You're speaking English, then." The president switched over. "Tell me why you three are here."

"We've come for Russia," the tall girl with a short, brown bob said harshly. "And any of the other nations you so stupidly helped."

"Elena," the young man snapped. He smiled apologetically at the president. "We need to know where the nations are. We have a task of the utmost importance to complete, and they are essential."

"So, are you the group behind the disappearance of the nations," the president said coldly. "Well, I did help them run, which I now see was indeed the best option. I cannot say where they are now, because I do not know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"You stupid woman, you have no idea -!"

"Elena!" The young man snarled. Elena clamped her mouth close. He turned to the president. "Come now, madam president, you can't tell me that you aren't tracking them. That's not exactly your way."

The president smiled without mirth. "Young man, I think you underestimate the nations. You are right, we were indeed tracking them, but somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, the link was lost and any attempt at reconnecting the link has been unsuccessful. We know their plane landed in Peru, but with no sign of them on board. They've vanished."

The young man leaned closer. "You didn't seek out security footage of any stopover flights?"

The president laughed. "Of course we did. As I say, young man, you underestimate the nations. Good luck finding them."

The young man's face grew hard. "Jen, knock her out."

Instantly the president fell into a deep sleep, a sleep untroubled by dreams.

Jennifer looked up from the president. "We're at a dead end, then?"

"Not quite." He touched his earpiece. "Stephan, I want to know every plane route headed from Moscow to Peru in the last 24 hours. Come on, we're going to the airport." He exited the president's room, waving for the others to follow. "We know they were there, and we know they didn't arrive at their planned destination. Somewhere between here and Peru, magic was probably done. So long as they're still using magic, they're still traceable."


	5. Chapter 5

The remnants of the coastal village still smoked from dying fires. Wind caught ash from blackened beams and whisked it up into the stark blue sky. England examined the work of his countrymen, carefully stepping over the charred bodies of men, women and children who did not have time to escape the assault.

"So much destruction for a trade agreement."

England looked up from his feet. China stood in the middle of the street, hands folded in his sleeves, face calm but eyes hard.

England nodded slowly, surveying the damage. "Yes, well. I believe my people were a little overzealous, yes. Still, if your people had simply let trade progress naturally, perhaps it wouldn't have come to this."

"My people were merely attempting to protect themselves from the poison your merchants have spread throughout my land," China said coolly. He walked forward, weaving though the corpses. "You cannot honestly believe this is a reasonable response?"

"It doesn't really matter what I believe, does it?" England retorted, setting his chin. "They are my people, and it's my job to carry out their wishes. And what they wish -" he slid the rifle from his shoulder and aimed it at China, "- is for your subjugation. Will you sign the treaty, or will this bloodbath continue?"

China let a silence grow between them. "Your treaty will be signed," he said finally. "My people are keen for the slaughter to end."

England lowered his rifle. "Good. It's better that we go back to being friends, don't you think?"

"'Friends?'" China smiled a small smile. "Is that what you call all of the nations you've invaded? Your 'friends?' Your atrocities circle the globe, little nation. If this is what you do to friends, I cannot imagine how you treat your enemies."

"Now see here, this attitude -"

"Hush, you child," China snapped. "You have your treaty, not because we are friends, but because my people see no end to the death without it. This may be a victory for your idiot country people, but can you see this destruction and tell me that this is a victory for you, England?"

England swung the rifle back over his shoulder and brushed ash from his jacket. "I stand by my people."

"Of course you do." China turned and walked away, back straight and head high. "I have been around for a long time, England," he called. "And I will be around for a long time yet. I look forward to the day when you feel shame when you remember standing by your people. And believe me." He looked back at England as he walked and gave him a grim smile. "That day will come."

* * *

England shook himself out of his reverie and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at China, who was leaning against the windowsill next to him working on a Sudoku puzzle.

"Back to the land of the living?" China said, not looking up from his puzzle.

"For now." England pressed his forehead against the glass, staring across the street at his townhouse.

They were paired together, on stake out in an unoccupied apartment, waiting for any sign of the person or persons responsible for the attack on the nations. Ukraine and Italy were in the building next to theirs, "carefully out of the way" as Ukraine put it quite sardonically. Russia, America and Germany were on the roof of the building next door to England's townhouse.

England had insisted on this course of action after giving America a strong noogie on the floor of the airport. "This is what we have to do," He said firmly. "We can't go faffing about the world as those responsible for our current situation stalk us like game. Counterterrorism is a fine idea, but let's do it sooner than later. Strike back while they think we're on the run."

"That's a good point," Germany said, stroking his chin. "And we have a clear advantage right now. We're, um, 'off the grid.'. If our bosses don't know where we are, our enemies must also be in the dark."

"Well, of course, not really," Russia said serenely from his place by the window. The nations looked to him as he stared out at the jets. "I am sure my boss has bugged everything she has given us, including the clothes on our backs. And all of the bosses can trace us by the purchases we make from the 'secret' accounts they created for us."

"If you knew about this, why didn't you say anything?" Germany blustered.

Russia turned and gave him a bemused look. "Why should I have to tell you? It is standard procedure."

"Guys, this is no biggie," America said with an easy shrug. "This flight stops over in Paris, right? Let's go buy some new clothes, stash our stuff on the plane, and give the whole shebang the slip in ol' Pari. We rent a car, hop, skip, jump through the Chunnel, and bam! we're gravy. Simple stuff."

"And what will we do for money," Germany snapped. "Are we to busk to pay for the rental?"

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Italy clapped his hands together. "I have a beautiful singing voice, and America can play the guitar, and -"

"We will not be forming a street band," England said briskly, taking out his tablet and making a call. "I have a better idea."

"Hello?" A sleepy Elizabeth answered her phone. "England, to you realize what time it is?"

"I would if I knew where you were," England said shortly.

"Sweden if you must know." Elizabeth yawned. "Out with it, sir. You must have quite the story to call so late. Or early, rather."

"My dear, nearly every nation has vanished. Only seven of us are left. It was a nasty spell that did the job, and though we are safe for now, we find ourselves on the run. And before you ask, no, Sweden is not among the seven."

There was a pause in conversation. "Well, that is a bit of a sticky wicket," Elizabeth said finally. "Thank you for the warning. I'd best leave quickly before Sweden's boss finds me here and I inconveniently become a suspect."

"You're welcome, I'm sure," England said with an edge of irony. "But I didn't call to save you from suspicion. Do you still have bank accounts scattered across the globe?"

"Of course, darling." Elizabeth was a bit breathless, and the sound of clothing being hastily packed came over the line. "It's the only way to be safe."

"Wonderful. I'm commandeering one of them. I'm sending you the numbers and passwords to some accounts that are currently being tracked. Please withdraw a goodly amount from each and deposit them into the account of your choice, then send me the account information as soon as you can."

"The banks don't open for quite a while, love."

"Then do it online."

"That's no way to ask for a favor."

England sighed and glanced around at the other nations. "Please, Elizabeth."

"That's better," Elizabeth said, amused. "Of course I'll do as you wish. I live to serve my nation. But I want an explanation of what exactly is going on."

"Believe me, Elizabeth, when I find out, you'll be the first to know."

The plan went as smoothly as one could wish. New clothes were acquired, and a message from Elizabeth about the account was waiting for them upon their arrival to Paris. The trip from Paris to London was uneventful, and the nations set up a watch on England's house, determined to capture any who would come for them. England set up a large spell circle encompassing his house and the houses the nations used for their stake out.

"There we are," he said when he was complete, wiping the chalk from his hands. "And now we wait."

And so they did. They waited for the rest of the day, and long into the night, taking shifts for naps and to fetch food. Eventually America, Germany and Russia took up cards to pass the time. England could hear them arguing about the rules over the tablet when he last called to check up on them. China was in no mood for social gameplay, and quietly solved one puzzle after another in the book he purchased when he picked up snacks from the shop on the corner.

England shifted in his chair and yawned. "I had forgotten how dull it is to wait for the enemy to appear," he muttered. "And how dangerous."

"Dangerous." China continued to fill boxes with numbers. "That's a strange thing to say."

"The danger comes from the wandering mind," England responded, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "Things come to the surface that you'd rather forget. Old memories. Old...regrets. It's disheartening."

China looked up from his puzzle, piercing England with his gaze. "I see. I thought you prided yourself on having no regrets."

"Well, I've never regretted my actions as a country, no," England said dismissively. "I was merely doing as my people and my government wished."

"Of course," China said sweetly. He looked back at his puzzle.

"However." England paused and examined his fingernails. "However. My personal reactions to these actions...well. It's hard to reconcile what one must do as a nation and how one feels personally about it. It can be enough to drive one mad - which, as we found with Russia or Canada, is a possible outcome."

China looked up from the puzzle once more and gave England a small smile. "Such self-awareness from you, England, is refreshing. But I still don't see you as the type to dwell on regret. Why is this on your mind?"

"Because I was thinking about the why. Why did someone attack and destroy the nations? What's more, why is the world not currently in chaos?"

"I assumed conquest," China said with a shrug. "It is easier to take people when they are unattached and listless, without national identity. And perhaps the spell won't be complete until all of us are dead."

"Yes, I thought so, too," England said, his face troubled. "It's almost always conquest, isn't it? But as I sit here, and old memories surface - memories I don't wish to remember - I wonder: does our attacker blame us for the worst things our people force us to do? Is this retribution for millenia of national unkindness and oppression and slaughter? A punishment brought on by one who does not understand our place?"

China gave England a hard look. "Let's hope it's the conquest," he said, closing the puzzle book. "Because the latter idea means we are facing a zealot. Zealots are the very worst foes - they think themselves morally in the right, and so cannot be convinced of reason. We have visitors."

England whipped his head toward the window. The guards his government had placed on his house flopped over onto the pavement. Three figures appeared in the darkness, swiftly sneaking into the house.

"Did you feel that buzz?" China murmured. "They opened the lock with magic."

"Wonderful. They have a spell castor," England said, annoyed. "Hopefully he or she won't feel this until it's too late."

He closed his eyes and activated the circle.


	6. Chapter 6

America, Germany and Russia sat on the roof of the building next door to England's house, playing cards by the minimal light of the moon, stars and street lamps. The warm summer wind threatened to bring the cards with it over the roofs of the London neighborhood. The cards were all thrown, and Germany was carefully tallying the scores with a pencil on a piece of greasy chippy paper. "Jack, ten, ten...looks like I win again," he said with a satisfied nod. He scooped up the cards and began to shuffle.

"I'm telling ya, the only game worth playing is 5 card draw," America grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Just because you refuse to learn the rules to skat doesn't make it a poor game," Germany snipped. "Want to play again?"

"I have grown used to losing," Russia said, slightly disheartened. "I might as well play another round."

"Yeah, a round of something else," America said, snatching the cards from Germany's hands. "Poker's the game, guys, deuces wild."

"Wait." Russia held up a hand and cocked his head. He then placed a finger to his lips and crawled across the roof to the edge before laying flat and leaning over the eaves. Germany and America glanced at each other and fell in behind him, laying on either side of him.

"They just entered the house," Russia murmured. "One of them is a spell castor - I felt it."

"How many were there," Germany asked, peering through the dark windows of England's house. The pinprick of a small flashlight flickered on and waved around England's study.

"Three," Russia murmured. "No signs of others. Look at the guards - they were taken out very efficiently."

"Only three," America scoffed. "That's it? Come on, we can take on three people between us!"

"Only three people, yes," Germany said, annoyed. "But we don't know if they are scouts and have a full unit somewhere close, if they work alone, if they are the ones responsible for the spell or are merely lackeys, if -"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," America said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone here's played war, buddy."

"There is the barrier spell," Russia said with a shiver. "They should be trapped inside the circle until England releases them."

"There's no light to signify a spell's been done," Germany muttered.

"That is the nature of the spell." Russia sat upright, removed the boot and sock from his right foot, shoved the boot back on. Germany and America exchanged a look.

"What'r ya doing there, Russia?" America said with a confused smile. "Everything okay?"

"Just preparing." Russia made for the latter they had propped against the building earlier in the day and quickly dropped down, then started shoving soil from beneath the shrubbery into the sock. Using his teeth, he tore a small hole in the toe.

America stared down at him. "Whatever you say, man." He climbed down after Russia, Germany close behind. They edged to the front of England's house, keeping close to the shrubbery. Time passed, and the three nations shifted in their hiding place to keep their limbs from going numb.

"They're taking their time," America muttered, rubbing the back of their neck.

Germany placed a finger to his lips as the three in black exited England's house.

"What a waste of a trip," Adalina grumbled, holstering her weapon as they walked down the path to the street.

America licked his lips. "Beretta 92fs," he whispered.

Germany gave him a pointed look that America returned with a shrug.

"It wasn't a waste," Mei said as she checked her phone. "We know what kind of magic the nations are capable of, we know they traveled to Russia, we know they've caught a flight. This information is invaluable."

Will stopped at the end of the path. "Something isn't right," he muttered. He walked slowly down the sidewalk and held out a hand flat against the barrier. He leapt back. "We're trapped!"

Russia stood and whipped the sock around his head. The soil flew from the hole and landed in a neat circle around him just as Adelina pulled her Beretta. His eyes glowed, and a green light flashed around the circle. The earth trembled and waved, knocking the three acolytes off their feet.

"Now!" Russia said. America and Germany launched themselves at the women. America grabbed Adelina by the wrists, knocking the Beretta from her hand. Germany made for Mei, but as he grasped for Mei's arms, she blinked out of existence, appearing again a few feet away, still laying on the ground.

"What?" Germany sputtered as Will staggered to his feet, eyes glowing. He reached out a hand, and fire erupted around Russia. Russia quickly closed his eyes and white light surrounded him, stifling the fire with a protection spell. He steeled himself, stomped a foot and the earth rattled again, this time a wave of pavement ripping up and slamming Will to the ground. He landed on his forehead, and blood streamed from the cut.

Adelina kicked out at America, landing on his shins, and bit his arm until he bled. America gasped and loosened his grip slightly. Adelina twisted a hand out of his grip and reached for her handgun. America lunged for it, but Adelina got to it first just as Germany grabbed Mei and dragged her to her feet. Again he found himself grasping for air as Mei flickered out of existence and popped next to the barrier. She slammed a hand against it as Germany ran for her. Adelina quickly aimed and fired, hitting Germany in the thigh.

"_Scheisse_!" Germany cried, stumbling to his knees as America grabbed Adelina's arm and twisted it around her back, shaking the gun from her grip.

"Mei! The barrier's being controlled from there!" Will cried, pointing at the window where England and China stood watch. Mei looked up at the window and blinked out of existence as Italy burst through the front door of the building he and Ukraine were tucked away. Ukraine followed him, calling after him. He ran for Germany, kneeling next to him as Russia stepped out of his dirt circle and kneeled over Will, turning him face up. Will's eyes glowed as he readied a spell.

"I have had enough of you," Russia said mildly, touching a finger in the blood running down the young man's face and making a small red circle on his neck. Will's eyes cleared and grew wide. He screamed and slapped and scratched at his skin.

Mei appeared behind England and punched him in the back of the head, stunning him. The barrier spell flickered and gave out before China could recover it.

"That was an unwise move, girl," China said, moving into a loose stance.

Mei held her head high. "You're China."

"I am."

"Then my task is finished." She quickly pulled a thin dagger from a sheath on her leg and jabbed out. China dodged, rolled around her and flipped her onto the floor. She jumped up on her feet and lashed out with the dagger. China easily dodged each swipe and kicked her side, knocking her off balance. She shook herself and attacked again, holding the dagger in a downward slicing motion as she jumped at him. He threw his shoulder at her, knocking her to the ground again.

"I can do this all day," China said, folding his arms together. "But you're welcome to continue."

Mei narrowed her eyes and disappeared as America dragged Adelina struggling to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Italy said, hugging Germany close.

"I've been shot, that's all," Germany snapped, pressing his hand against his wound to stop the flow of blood. "I'll be fine."

Italy gave him a sorrowful look, then set his teeth and stormed over to Adelina and America. "How dare you hurt my friend," he said, poking Adelina in the chest. Adelina stared at him, awed.

"You're Italy," she said with reverence.

"Of course I'm Italy!" He said, waving his hands in the air. "What does that have to do with you hurting my friend?"

Adelina stomped as hard as she could on America's toes, again and again. America jumped away, and Adelina pulled hard from his grip as Italy stumbled back. She reached for the sheathed dagger at her belt and thrust it into Italy's heart. Italy gasped and touched the dagger lightly. Russia looked up as Germany and America cried out. Ukraine covered her mouth.

Tears ran down Adelina's cheeks. "It is done. Oh, my god, it is done."

"It doesn't hurt," Italy said, puzzled. Then slowly, very slowly, he began to fade. As he became more and more transparent, Adelina's skin began to dry and wrinkle and crumble. Her hair bleached white. Then, quick as a flash, Adelina fell to dust as Italy blinked out of existence. The dagger clattered against the pavement. The nations said nothing, staring at the place where Italy once stood. Only Will's cries cut the silence.

Ukraine walked to the dagger and picked it up, turning it in her hand as China and England appeared at the door of the house they had occupied. England leaned against China, holding his head.

"We lost Italy," Ukraine said faintly.

"But we gained a hostage," Russia said, waving at the screaming Will, flashing a toothy grin. "I am sure we can repay Italy's death."

"What's wrong with him?" England rubbed his head, wincing against the din of the screaming.

"He thinks he is covered in a multitude of insects," Russia said. "I can put him to sleep if you prefer." He made another small red circle on Will's arm, and the young man went still.

America let out a breath and kneeled next to Germany, taking off his shirt and binding his wound. "I don't think we won that battle," he muttered, helping Germany to his feet.

"Let's go," China said. "Before the one that got away comes back with reinforcements."

Russia scooped up Will, and the nations made for their rental van, tucked away a few blocks from England's house. Mei watched them from the rooftops, waiting for them to drive off. She made a mental note of the license plate, then flicked herself to the site of Germany's injury. Quickly she swiped up some of his blood, smeared it on her sleeve, then closed her eyes. Wind, and heat, and a jumble of smells -forest, sea, factory - rushed by her. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of Oleg, in the lobby of the Sheremetyevo airport.

Oleg stared at her, mouth agape. He shook his head and glanced around. "You had better not have been seen," he said smoothly.

"I wasn't," Mei snapped. "I've come with a report. Adelina is gone. Her task has been accomplished."

Oleg brightened. "Good news! That's one down. Why do you look so grim?"

"They have Will." Mei frowned. "And China proved to be more formidable than I thought he'd be. They all are formidable, Oleg. We must proceed with caution."

"Damn." Oleg motioned to the others in his group. "We're moving out. This place is a bust. The nations are in England. For now, anyway."

"I have one more report," Mei said, holding out her sleeve. "We now have a nation's blood."

Jen squealed and grabbed at Mei's arm, grinning from ear to ear. She looked up at Oleg and beamed. "Oh, we're gonna have fun with this!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Time to wake up, boy."

Will surfaced from sleep, his head pounding and his eyes blurry. He was sitting upright, tied to a wooden chair. He blinked, and he focused on Russia leaning over him, sandy hair hiding his dark blue eyes, an amused smile brushing his lips. Will snarled and his eyes began to glow.

"Careful, boy." Russia pointed to the floor. "You are within a circle of salt. I would not try a spell unless you wish it to ricochet. I have no desire to clean up that mess."

Will blinked and his eyes cleared. He glared at Russia, hate curling his mouth into a sneer. He glanced around the bland hotel room that he and Russia occupied.

"Where am I?"

"Good question." Russia sat on the edge of the bed, set his elbows on his thighs and his head atop his curled hands and leaned forward. "So, you can cast magic without making a circle? That must be very useful."

Will clamped his mouth shut and held up his chin.

Russia's smile grew broader. "And one of the other girls, she could transport herself from place to place in a blink of an eye. Very interesting. I have never before encountered a human with such abilities." He picked up the dagger that had killed Italy from the bed and twirled it in his hand. "I wonder what skills your other companion possessed. Unfortunately she cannot tell us. She died when she took out Italy."

Will perked up. "Adelina succeeded?"

"Adelina?" Russia stabbed the bed with the dagger. "What a pretty name. Your accent. Is it English?"

Will closed his mouth again and looked down.

"Oh, no, I understand perfectly. You do not wish to talk. But you see -" he picked up a second dagger from the bed, one that had been on Will's person, "- I have been around a long time, boy. Prisoners who have valuable information about enemy combatants are rarely treated well if they do not talk. Trust me. The things I have seen." He leaned forward and brushed Will's cheek with the blade, outlined his ear with the tip. Will trembled. "They were not good things. I have seen the most battle-worn men break down, boy." He flicked Will's earlobe, leaving a small nick. "Do you wish to test yourself? See if you can stand up with them?"

The door of the room swung open. Ukraine stalked over to Russia and slapped the dagger hand away from Will. She held a brown bag, which she tossed on the bed before taking Russia's head between her hands and shaking him.

"What do you think you are doing?" She snapped. "We leave you alone for a moment, and you choose to threaten the boy?"

Russia pushed her away and shrugged, pointing the dagger at Will. "He has information we need about those who wish to kill us. Torture is an acceptable course of action."

Ukraine slapped Russia, stunning him. She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "It is against the rules. No nation can harm a human!"

"But -"

"If you are the brother I know you to be, you will not hurt this boy!" Ukraine grabbed the paper bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a few simple staples - bread, cheese, an apple. She turned to Will, her eyes softening. "I am sorry about my brother. He can be very cruel sometimes when he has a goal. I promise, I will not let him hurt you." She kneeled next to Will and held out the bread. "Go on. It has been many hours since you were put to sleep. You will be hungry."

Will stared at the bread, trying to ignore his stomach's protesting, but the smell of it was too much of a temptation. He took a bite and chewed.

Ukraine broke out into a wide, happy smile. "That's better."

"You're Ukraine," Will said, his voice muffled by the bread.

"That's right," Ukraine nodded. "And what's your name?"

Will glanced away from her.

"Oh, of course. You will not say." Ukraine held up the cheese, of which Will took a bite. "You do not have to say a word. Of course, you will have to remain our prisoner. We cannot let you go free as long as your companions threaten us. But we will treat you well." She shot a disapproving look at Russia.

Russia rolled his eyes and stood. "I will not sit here and watch this sickening coddling," he grumbled. "Do what you will, Ukraine. As for you," he pointed at Will with the dagger, "I recommend that you tell us what you know. There is no other course of action you can take." Russia held the dagger up and slammed it against the radiator. The dagger blade snapped in two, releasing a yellow spark of power. Will cried out in despair. Russia picked up the dagger's shard and walked from the room. "You will harm none of us with this weapon."

Will's head dropped and tears rolled down his cheeks. Ukraine stroked his head and soothed, then frowned and followed Russia. "What did I tell you about torturing the boy," she said as the door closed behind her.

Russia was waiting for her in the hall, holding the dagger and shard in one fist. "How was I?" he murmured.

Ukraine placed a finger on her lips, and they walked down the hall. "Very scary," she said when she thought it was safe. "Like the old days."

"Oh, I was not so bad in the old days, was I?" Ukraine gave him a hard look, which he had the tact to return with chagrin. He knocked on a door. America opened it, looked down the hallway, and ushered them in. The rest of the nations, aside from Germany who lay on the bed, his face pale, crowded around Russia. Russia placed the broken dagger on the small desk next to the entertainment center.

"You were right," he said to China, waving a hand at the shards. "He did not like seeing his weapon destroyed. He broke down."

"Did you discover anything else," England said as he picked up one of the shards.

Russia ticked off his fingers. "He is English. He is powerful, but you know that. His dead companion's name was Adelina. He said 'she succeeded,' which I found interesting. He is fearful. The mere suggestion of torture made him shake." He frowned. "He is very young. And he ate Ukraine's food. He may be holding out for now, but he is not properly trained to be a prisoner of war. He is practically a child."

America crossed his arms. "Do you think we'll be able to flip him?"

"We shall see." Russia shoved his hands in his pockets. "He really, really hates me. Before I began, he gave me a look like I had murdered his parents."

"Perhaps you did," China said flatly. Russia shot him a look and frowned.

"Adelina," Germany whispered. "That's an Italian name."

"And this boy is English," England muttered. "And China's attacker was very much Chinese. No doubt there are others, at least one citizen for each of us."

"The girl Adelina crumbled to dust after stabbing Italy." China took the broken dagger from England. "I believe what we have here is a sacrificial spell. A citizen sacrificed to kill a nation."

"That makes no sense," Russia said, shaking his head. "One dead citizen will not kill a nation, even within a spell. The only way to kill a nation is to either kill every citizen who sees themselves as part of that nation, or change the citizen's minds about who they are to such an extent that the nation must either change with them, or die."

"Yes, we know the rules," China said, putting down the dagger. "But still, the nations have vanished somehow, and these sacrificial lambs that have been thrown at us are part of that." He looked at each nation. "We must discover the source of the spell. It is the only way to find out what exactly was done and why."

"Well, besides interrogating the kid," America said.

"It is likely even he doesn't know everything, America," England said coolly. "China's right - we have to find the original spell circle."

"And when you go searching for it, you will leave me here." The nations turned toward Germany, who propped himself up in the bed. "I can't wander the globe on a wild goose chase. I can barely walk as it is."

"You must be joking," England scoffed. "You really think we'll leave you here to die?"

"Hush. I've been thinking." Germany put on a stoic face. "I bled all over the pavement when I was shot. I saw what Russia did with a little blood. And China said that blood is now the only way they can reach us. Further, I am injured, and damn this body, I am now unable to heal quickly. I am a liability. You will leave me behind."

"I did not wish to say anything," China said carefully, "but now that Germany has spoken, I agree. We have been on the move for two days, and between a hostage and an injured man, we will eventually be caught."

"Well, I can't just let Germany commit suicide," America snapped. "Or worse! What if they torture him?"

"They will not." Russia took a shard of the dagger and quickly cut Germany's palm, drew a circle on it with the blood and touched the center. Germany's eyes rolled back, and he sunk into a deep sleep. "I would like to see them try to break that spell."

The nations stood over Germany in silence for a moment. Then China nodded. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Jen's eyes glowed slightly as she gripped the piece of cloth stained with Germany's blood.

"He's close," she said as she walked down the long hotel hallway. "We'll have 'em for sure this time."

Oleg, standing next to her, nodded behind him. Elena and Stephan drew their weapons. Mei steeled herself.

Jen paused and glanced at a door. "Something went down in there," she muttered, frowning. She reached out and touched the door.

"Is it Germany?" Stephan said nervously.

"No." Jen's frown deepened. "It's Will. They released the power from his dagger. It'll be useless now."

"Poor Will," Mei murmured.

"Don't pity him," Oleg said firmly. "So long as he's still alive, we can bring him back to Lady Tara and he can complete his task. Jen, don't linger here."

"Yeah, yeah." Jen pulled her hand away from the door and continued down the hall. She stopped and nodded in front of another door. "He should be in there."

Mei blinked out. The door to the room opened, and she ushered the group inside.

Germany lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully, his face the pallor of the sheets beneath him. The bandage on his wounded leg was soaked through. Stephan approached the nation with a sense of wonder, and lightly touched the sopping gauze.

"I can't believe it, but it must be him," he said, looking at his red-tinged fingers. "If he were human, he'd be dead from the blood loss by now." He pulled his dagger from his belt.

"Wait." Oleg stayed Stephan's hand. "Notice that he's the only one here? The others left him behind. Probably due to his injury."

"Lucky for me." Stephan shook Oleg off and raised his dagger.

Oleg slapped Stephan's hand away. "I said wait! You finish your task, and we have no more leads to find the other nations. We'll be relying on guesswork then. And you'll be gone, so we'll have no one to search CCTV and the like for clues." Oleg nodded at Jen. "Wake him up. Let's find out what he knows."

Jen nodded and placed a hand on Germany's chest. She quickly pulled away, shaking her hand. "Jeez! This spell is, like, really deep! It almost took me with it!"

Oleg looked troubled. "You can't break it? _You_?"

Jen pouted, touched Germany's chest and closed her eyes. Her eyelids flickered. Again she snatched her hand away and scowled. "The bastard castor set it up as a trap," she moped, annoyed. "You try to break the spell, and it starts to wrap around you. I can't break the spell without being knocked out myself. And without Will, there'll be no one to wake me up." She looked up at Oleg. "You can wake up Germany and lose me, or keep him sleeping. Your choice."

"Damn." Oleg thought for a moment, then perked up. "We don't need him to be awake, we just need him to talk. Can you get him to hear me well enough to start talking?"

Jen smiled. "That I think I can do." She placed a hand on Germany's chest and closed her eyes. "When I give you the signal, start asking him questions."

* * *

The ring of fire flared upward as Germany approached, licking the beams of the tower ceiling. Sweat trickled down his back as his heavy chain mail soaked up the heat of the room. He rolled his neck, closed his eyes and walked through the flames, singeing the leather of his scabbard and the edges of his hair. He opened his eyes, and before him was the still form of a woman, clothed in chain mail and prostrate on a stone slab. Her helmet hid her face.

Gently, Germany removed the helmet to reveal the woman's thin, pale face and fiery hair bound up in braids atop her head. He unsheathed his sword, slipped it up her chain mail shirt and sliced upward, severing the mail. It slipped from the woman's arms and torso.

The woman sighed and her eyes fluttered open. The ring of fire flared up, then disappeared. She raised herself on the stone slab.

"My Siegfried." She reached out her arms. "You have saved me."

"Yes, it seems that way." Germany slipped his sword back in its scabbard.

The woman pulled his helmet from his head, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a heady kiss, which he returned with surprise. She pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair. "Now that I am free, can you tell me where the others are?"

An overwhelming need to tell this woman anything she desired filled Germany's heart. He smiled at her. "What others?"

"The others, Siegfried." She kissed him again, lightly. "The others in your party."

Germany frowned and pushed her gently away. He shook his head. "There are no others."

"Of course there are others."

The tower rippled, stonework tumbling away. The woman's chain mail returned, this time of a rougher, more sturdy make. Her face grew lined and hard. They were on a great muddy field, the sod churned up by horses. The clanging roar of battle surrounded them.

"I don't know what you mean," Germany said, confused. A flicker of a possibility came to his mind, but he forgot it as a line of cavalry crashed into a line of pike-wielding infantry.

"Of course you don't," the woman said harshly. He ducked quickly as she threw his helmet at his head. "You never could do anything right, you pointless creature! Secure the throne, is that so hard to do?"

"Brunhilda, I am your nation, not your lackey," he snapped. "It doesn't work that way. If you cannot gain the throne for yourself, then I am not bound to serve you!"

Brunhilda marched up to him and prodded him in the chest. "Just tell me where the others are, you stupid fool!"

Again, a wave of need to say something choked him, but still he didn't understand. He pushed her and stalked away, moving through the chaos of the battle to escape her. He heard a war cry to his right and pulled his sword just in time to block the battle ax aimed at his head. His chain mail had changed to plate armor, which weighed him down. Lithuania, wielding the ax, swept his arms up and brought it down again. The weight of the ax rattled Germany as he caught it once more with the flat of his blade. "Every year you come here and make war, take my people as slaves, ravage my land," Lithuania raged, his normally kind face twisted in anger. "Leave me be, you brutish creature!"

"I do so for my people, not out of my own desire," Germany countered, pushing Lithuania off of him. "Can you claim that you don't do the same?"

Lithuania swung again, swiping at Germany. Germany stumbled away. "Just let me know where the others are!" Lithuania cried. "I know you know! Tell me, and be off!"

That need swelled in Germany again. He narrowed his eyes, turned and ran, ignoring Lithuania's cries. "Something's not right," he said, jumping into a muddy, water-filled trench. As he landed, his boots changed to black leather and his armor melted from him, revealing a light grey uniform beneath. A shell burst above his head, spreading clumps of dirt throughout the trench. Young men cowered against the walls of the trench, shivering in the cold, rainy mist. He sat on a crate and rubbed his face to clean off the dirt.

"S'cuse me, sir." He looked up at an enlisted man sitting next to him, who held out a cigarette. "You look rattled. Need a smoke?"

"Yes, thanks." Germany took the cigarette and breathed in deeply, calming his nerves. He passed it back and blew out the smoke. "Long day."

"Yeah." The soldier placed the cigarette in his mouth. "The worst of it is never knowing when they'll strike, you know? Those British bastards." He tilted his head. "You're an officer. You have any information?"

"Information?" Germany shot the soldier an appraising look. "What kind of information?"

"You know, where the troops may be?" The soldier took a drag of his cigarette and puffed out smoke. "You must know where England is, right? Or at least America?"

The need to tell the soldier everything he knew was so great that he opened his mouth to speak. But what did he know? He paused, confused.

"Won't you tell me where England is?" The soldier said hopefully. "It would be a great relief to know."

Suddenly a flash of memory hit Germany - the spell, the other nations, his injury. He was asleep. _He was dreaming._ His eyes flashed and he grabbed the soldier by the collar, shaking him. "Who the hell are you?" A few other soldiers looked up, attracted by the noise.

The soldier looked surprised and scared. "I'm just an underling, sir," he said. "I was just wanting to know -"

Germany stood, dragging the soldier to his feet. "This isn't right," he snapped, slamming the soldier against the wooden slats that made up the wall of the trench. Some of the soldiers cried out and launched themselves at Germany, pulling at him. Germany shook them off. His leg ached, and blood soaked his pant leg. "Who are you?"

The soldier's face grew hard. "Tell me where the nations are," he said. "Where are they going? What do you know? They didn't just leave you here to die without telling you a thing, did they?"

Germany choked back the words that rushed to his lips. His throat burned and his head pounded. He released the soldier and stumbled back. "I can't say," he said through clenched teeth.

"Of course you can," the soldier soothed, righting his collar. "You can tell me everything. Let it go. It hurts to keep it in, doesn't it? Just let me know what you know, and it will all be over."

Germany swung wildly around. The need to speak pressed against him, and he knew he could not hold it back. His eyes flicked between the soldiers standing off from him, watching him, appraising him. One of them held a knife. He lunged at that soldier, and before the soldier could react, he grabbed the boy's fist and forced him to plunge the knife deep into Germany's heart. The boy cried out and disappeared. Germany sunk to his knees and looked up at his interrogator with a smile.

"Now you will never know."

* * *

Germany faded and winked out of existence as Stephan crumbled to dust. Oleg clenched his fists, staring at the floor where Germany had kneeled before him. The dagger lay on the carpet, shimmering a bit. He picked it up and glanced at his companions.

"Stephan has completed his task," he said angrily. "And we're without any leads."

"How did he fight against your voice?" Jen was filled with awe. "I thought that was impossible!"

"I told you, the nations are more formidable than we thought," Mei said smoothly. "We must proceed with caution."

"We cannot proceed at all if we do not know where to go," Elena said sharply.

Oleg pondered Stephan's dagger. "Jen, are these daggers linked?"

"They're linked to the original circle," Jen said slowly. "And to the individual nations that they are meant for."

"Can you track the other daggers with one of our own?"

Jen took Stephan's dagger and turned it in her hands. She closed her eyes. "The link is like a spider's silk. It travels back to the circle, but I can barely see it. It lights up because I am seeking the circle. I can feel the other daggers tugging at the circle, but unless someone lights up their threads, I will not be able to see them." She opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, that's really all I can do."

Oleg smiled. "Come on, let's find a nicer place than this to set up camp." He walked to the door and waved the women from the room. "We'll have a rest. Jen, you watch the thread of that dagger and the circle it leads to until I say otherwise."

"But I told you, I can't see anything," Jen grumped.

"The nations have Adelina's dagger. You can't tell me they won't use it to seek the circle," Oleg said, his smile growing. "They'll want to try to reverse Lady Tara's spell, right? And when they use the dagger, we'll have them."


	9. Chapter 9

Hot, wet and muddy, America slogged through the forest, the butt of the musket slung over his back catching on branches and saplings as he passed them by. He slapped at the mosquitoes that gathered around his face, the one place on his body not covered in his heavy wool uniform.

"'Oh, no, General Washington, I can totally find the fort on my own. Go on ahead!' Smooth move, America." He stumbled over a rotten tree trunk. "Man, I've never seen England getting lost on the way to a battle."

He pushed through some brush and stumbled into a small clearing. A babbling creek cut through the clearing, sending a haze of mist into the murky summer air. In the middle of the clearing, Germany sat on a fallen log, hat next to him, Kelly green jacket thrown open against the heat. His high leather boots were tossed on the bank of the creek and his feet were soaking in the swift-running water.

They stared at each other for a moment, America wide-eyed and trembling, Germany calm and impassive. America flipped the musket off of his shoulder and aimed it at Germany.

"You have to load it first," Germany said, cocking an eyebrow.

America lowered the musket. "You're Germany!" he blurted. "England hired you to fight me!"

"Ja." Germany shrugged.

"But-but-there's gonna be a big battle and everything tomorrow!"

Germany waved a dismissive hand. "Ja, ja."

America paused and lowered his musket further. "Why aren't you trying to capture me?"

"It is not tomorrow yet." Germany looked up at the trees. "And the day is nice. And I'm comfortable. I think I would rather sit for now." He pulled his rucksack into his lap, opened it and pulled out a small loaf of bread. He broke it and held up half to America. "Hungry?"

America hesitated for just a second before shouldering his musket, kicking off his boots and joining Germany on the log. He grabbed the offered loaf and took a big bite. He swallowed and wiped his mouth. "Hey, what's going on? Why're you being so nice?"

"I don't know. Ja, my people are hired to fight you." Germany stretched out his feet and wiggled his toes. "But a lot of them are also coming to your land to make it their home. They think good things. So, I think you can't be that bad."

America gaped at Germany. "But you're my enemy, aren't ya?"

"Me?" Germany shook his head and took a bite of his bread. "I'm not your enemy. Our people might be enemies, but what I do to you for them isn't personal. You remember that if you win this war and become a nation."

"IF?" America stood proudly and picked up his boots. "I WILL win. You just wait and see."

Germany smiled slightly. "I guess I will. Hey, why are you running around the woods? I could hear you coming for a long time, you know."

"Oh. Well, I had a...it was for strategic..."

"You're lost." Germany stood and stretched. "And you don't know how to walk, do you?"

"Pfft. Of course I know how to walk." America stomped around a bit.

"No, no, like a nation walks. If you're going to be a nation, you need to walk like one." Germany shouldered his rucksack and picked up his boots. "Just think of where your citizens are, and then step, like so -" and he was gone.

* * *

"Excuse me, are you paying attention?" England's voice knocked the memories from America's head. "We are detailing important plans, and your presence is necessary."

"Yeah, of course." America dipped his pita into the large plate of hummus the nations shared and stuffed it into his mouth. "Sorry. I was just thinking, you know. About Germany."

The other nations exchanged a look over the round patio table. The street café was mostly empty, lunch rush having gone home for a short nap to escape the summer heat. A warm breeze from the Mediterranean flitted over them, threatening to take their napkins with it.

"Germany made his decision," Russia said finally as he picked at his food. "His sacrifice means we can better find a way to save ourselves and find out what happened to the others."

"Well, I think we could have done more," America said earnestly. "I mean, he was good people! Like, you know, when he wasn't trying to take over the world. And that only happened the one time!"

England gave him a sidelong glance. "He wanted to stay behind. He knew what he was doing. What should we have done, forced him to come with us on one of our backs, especially since it was likely our enemies used him to track us?"

America threw up his hands. "Yes!"

England shook his head. "Sometimes I forget how young you are."

"What's done is done," China said quietly, placing his napkin on his empty plate. "What we must do now is move forward. Russia, are you sure Ukraine can handle our hostage while we work?"

"Positive." Russia slipped a hand in his trouser pocket and brushed his phone. "The sleeping spell I put on him was light. It should wear off soon. She will gather the information we need from him."

"Good." China stood. "Let's head toward the beach."

* * *

Will awoke with a start. Sunlight dappled his body. He was on a balcony overlooking the square, whitewashed buildings of a small town set into a large hill. The sea glimmered in the distance, a silver and blue line against the horizon.

"Where am I," he mumbled, shaking his head. He was bound to a cast iron chair. He looked down and saw the circle of salt surrounding him. "Damn."

"Oh good, you are awake." Ukraine walked onto the balcony and set a tray filled with food - grapes, olives, pita, fresh cheese - and a bottle of wine with two glasses on the twisting cast iron table next to Will. "Are you hungry?"

Will's stomach growled in response. He scowled at Ukraine's laughter as she pulled another chair up next to him, carefully keeping it outside the bounds of the salt. Slowly, she fed him, keeping silent as he munched on the flatbread, fruit and cheese.

"If you want something more substantial, I can order some meat," she said finally, brushing his lips with a napkin. "You just tell me if you're hungry."

"It won't really matter, will it?" Will moped. "You'll be putting me back to sleep soon, anyway. I'm not hungry when I'm sleeping."

"We only put you to sleep for ease of travel," Ukraine said matter-of-factly. "You fit very well and without complaint in the trunk when you're asleep. Also," she pointed at the salt, "we're not in danger from your magic. But look - it is a lovely day. It is warm, the food is good, and we are out of danger for now. I have learned to appreciate these things when I have them, because I never know how long it will last." She poured the wine and held up a glass to Will's lips. "And it is always better to share such a day with another than to be alone. Please drink."

Will gave her a suspicious look. "Is it drugged?"

Ukraine looked shocked. "Who do you think I am? Russia? China? _England_?"

Will hesitated.

"Oh for heaven's sake." Ukraine took a large sip from the glass and held it to Will's lips again. Finally Will accepted the drink. "There we are, see? A good wine."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Will gave Ukraine a hard look. "You know I'm not going to tell you a thing. My companions will find you and free me, and we will finish our task."

"Your task." Ukraine set the glass on the table and leaned back in her chair. "Your task to kill yourself while killing the nations? It seems a very sad task to me. You are so very young to throw your life away on such an endeavor."

"It's not sad, and I'm not throwing my life away," Will said indignantly. "It's noble!"

Ukraine smiled wryly. "Ah, yes, the noble sacrifice. That is not my area of expertise. I've found that such sacrifice often has unintended consequences. It isn't a bad thing to stand up and die for an idea, but you must be sure it's the right idea, at the right time, with the right people for it to mean more than one more corpse to clean up, don't you think?"

"Of course not! None of the consequences will be unintended," Will said confidently. "The nations will no longer be personified, and they can no longer cause harm by going against their people and their governments! Think of all the deaths we'll prevent because of our sacrifice. I can't think of a better reason to die."

Ukraine's eyes grew wide. "The nations aren't dead, they simply aren't personified?" she breathed.

"Of course they aren't 'dead.' We aren't trying to cause chaos, we're -" Will paused and narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Why am I saying any of this to you?" He paled. "You drugged me! You _lied_ to me!"

"I didn't lie to you," Ukraine said calmly, taking another sip of wine. "I told you - I am not China, Russia or England. They have the skill to make a truth potion. Which of course they provided to me to slip into your drink."

"But -but you drank the wine, too!" Will stuttered.

"Well, of course I did," Ukraine said. "It is good wine. And I don't mind telling you the truth."

"You bitch!" Will snarled. "You pretend to play nice, and then drag what you want out of me! Well I don't care if you know! Once the nations are in their proper place, as mere ideas rather than living, breathing people, we'll be free of you, and better for it! You won't be able to hurt anyone ever again!"

Ukraine's eyes flashed. She set the glass down and took Will's chin firmly in her hand. "Let me tell you a truth, little one. I was born in a ruthless time. My childhood was swift and filled with the smell of blood. Nations are born of humans, and humans are bloodthirsty creatures. You cause yourselves more harm than any single living, breathing nation could ever cause." She pushed his head away. "Who on earth has been filling your head with such stupid ideas?"

Will's lips trembled as he fought the potion. "Lady Tara," he finally blurted. "She raised us all with the knowledge of how evil the nations are. How uncaring. How fickle and cruel!"

"Humans are evil, uncaring, fickle and cruel," Ukraine said calmly. "Nations merely reflect their people."

"But that's not true!" Will cried. "Russia went crazy fifteen years ago and nearly destroyed the world! So long as you're actual people with free will, you are dangerous! You have to be wiped out!"

Ukraine stared at Will. "You were a small child then, surely," she said finally. "Few know exactly what happened. They see it as an unknown Event, a case of mass hysteria. Did your Lady Tara tell you what was behind the Event?"

"Of course," Will said darkly. "He's the worst of you all, isn't he? Russia always walked the line between doing what he wanted and what his people wanted. I can't wait to see Oleg's dagger in his chest. I'll celebrate in heaven when the task is done."

Ukraine shifted in her chair and set her teeth. "Are you necessary for this plan to succeed?"

"Of course," Will scoffed. "You think just because you broke my dagger, Lady Tara can't use me as sacrifice? She is amazing! Her power is so great, so -"

Ukraine placed a hand on his mouth. She sighed. "You are so young. It is a pity that this Lady twisted your mind. And a pity that you are still useful to her." She swiftly took his head between her hands and firmly twisted, snapping Will's neck. His body sagged. She released him and leaned back in her chair with her glass of wine, staring off at the ocean with sad eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

The beach was crowded. Small children squealed as waves lapped against their legs. People of all shapes and sizes spread themselves on towels, soaking in the sun. No one paid much mind to the four foreigners dressed in jeans and t-shirts setting up at the very edge of the waterline. Tourists always did strange or silly things.

"I don't see why we can't do this in the hotel room," England said as he drew a large circle in the sand with his foot. The small trench immediately filled with water and melted away.

"The ocean is a powerful force," China said, picking up a hunk of seaweed deposited by a wave and tossing it away. "We are looking for one magic circle potentially miles away. It can't hurt to have the extra power."

Russia began picking pebbles and shells out of the water and scattering them in the shape of a circle. "Why do we need the extra power? We have the dagger. Will that not be enough?"

"Good question," said England, joining Russia in building the circle. "What exactly are you up to, China?"

China sat with crossed legs in the middle of the circle, pulled Adelina's dagger out of his belt and stabbed it into the sand. "I wish to gather as much information from the circle once I've found it, that's all," he said calmly. "Can we please begin?"

England and Russia finished the circle and settled inside, closing their eyes.

"And what am I supposed to do?" America said, annoyed.

"Keep a lookout. There's a chap," England said distantly.

"Great." America slumped in the sand as the circle began to glow faintly purple.

England, Russia and China sunk into the spell, Russia and England lending their power over to China as he grasped the hilt of the dagger. The thread attaching the dagger to the circle lit up in his mind. He traveled slowly along the thread, sizing up the strength of the link. He gave it a mental tug. Suddenly he flew forward along the thread and found the circle before him glowing a bright, hot orange-red. He reached out for it, then pulled back, scalded.

"It's very strong," he said, bemused. "Stronger than anything I've ever seen."

"You see it?" Russia asked, his cheeks growing read from the heat.

England wiped sweat from his brow. "Has the day grown hotter?"

"It's the circle. It's radiating power." China carefully moved around the circle's circumferance. He felt tugs from the other daggers attached to the circle, but ignored them, fascinated by the strength of the power emminating from it. He took a deep breath and wrapped the power coming from England and Russia around him.

"What are you doing?" England asked sharply.

China didn't answer. He dove into the power of the sea, absorbing as much as possible before crossing over the burning circle.

* * *

"I've got 'em!" Jen leapt up from the floor, eyes growing bright, grinning from ear to ear. "They're checking out the circle!"

Oleg sat up straight on the hotel bed. "Do you know their current location?"

"Yes, yes, somewhere sunny...a beach..."

Mei pushed off the desk she was sitting on and reached a hand over the circle Jen stood in. "Show me." Jen took her hand. A flash of sand, ocean, white-washed buildings. Mei's eyelids fluttered. They snapped open and she smiled. "I'll be back."

She disappeared.

* * *

"China." A breathy voice whisked over China, filling him with a sense of unease. "How good of you to visit."

"It's a visit of business, not pleasure, " China called in the dark space within the burning circle. "Whoever you are, you've caused quite a mess."

The voice chuckled. "On the contrary, I believe I may have solved a problem that's been itching me for eons," the voice cooed. "The nations were a troublesome group. And now, you are almost extinct."

China ignored the voice, reaching out with his mind, feeling for the source of power. A burning flare of pain pushed him back.

"Oh, enough of that," the voice admonished. "It's rude poke a girl who isn't interested. Now, what am I to do with you? I suppose if you insist on coming to me, I might as well put you out of your misery."

Suddenly a set of green tendrils whipped out of the dark and wrapped around him, dragging him further into the circle.

* * *

America sighed and flopped back in the sand. He stared up at the blue, cloudless sky. "So. Bored." A smokey smell wafted over his nose. He took a sniff and sat up.

"Woah!" China, England and Russia were bright red, as if they had been sitting in the sun for hours. Smoke billowed out of the circle.

America leapt to his feet and ran down the beach, yanking a child's bucket from his hands. The child squealed and his mother screamed at him in Greek as he ran back to the circle.

"Sorry, official business!" He cried as he scooped up seawater and threw it at the three nations. As soon as the water hit the nations, a plume of steam rose from them. A small, murmuring crowd began to gather around the circle, watching America toss bucket after bucket of water on the baking nations.

"Come on, guys!" America cried. "Wake the hell up!"

* * *

China struggled with the tendrils, fighting and scraping his way toward the edge of the circle.

"Who are you," he growled, pushing as hard as he could against his attacker.

Oh, you know me, China," the voice said, amused. "We are very old friends, you and I."

"I doubt that." China pushed again, but his efforts rolled off his attacker uselessly.

"We have met many times," the voice said soothingly. "In field, and dale, and forest, and hill, in lake and river and ocean."

China stopped struggling, stunned. "Wait. It can't be..."

"Ah! My people have found you." The tendrils released China. "I believe I will let them complete their task. Perhaps now that you know who I am, you will convince the others how pointless it is to run."

In a controlled panic, China pulled himself out of the circle and pushed away from it as quickly as he could.

* * *

Mei popped back into the hotel room. "I've found them. They're in Greece. A town called Kavala."

Oleg grinned. "Fantastic. Let's go."

"Wait!" Jen held up a hand. "We have an opportunity here! We're all linked to the big, bad circle through the daggers! That's a lot of power. I want to try something. Mei, give me your hand."

Mei glanced at Oleg and did as Jen requested. Jen latched on to her, hard, draining her of some of her power.

* * *

The nations surfaced from the spell, gasping for breath. The murmuring of the crowd grew louder as Russia staggered to his feet, stumbled out of the circle and plunged into the sea. He stood, shook water from his hair, and started splashing himself all over in the shallows.

England, wide eyed with fury, tackled China. "What the hell were you doing," he cried, shaking China. "We could've all been killed!"

"Impossible," China said smoothly. "We are still nations after all."

England's eyes flashed. He swung back and punched China square in the jaw.

America dropped his bucket and jumped into the circle. "Come on, bro," he said, grabbing England and pulling him off of China. "He's not worth it. Besides -"

America, China and England disappeared. A cry rose up from the crowd. Russia turned, bemused, noting the people pointing and screaming. He stared at the empty circle, pushing through the crowd as he walked toward it. Water dripped from his sopping sleeve as he gingerly reached a hand out to the circle. Heat radiated from it, scalding him.

"Of course," he muttered. He pulled his hand back and kicked at the pebbles and shells making up the circle. Immediately the heat dissipated. The crowd watched him with wide eyes. He ignored the people, taking out his phone and walking away quickly. The phone dripped with water and was unresponsive. He stared at it for a second before throwing it into the sand, throwing up his hands and stalking away.

"China, you bastard," he said, teeth clenched as he moved to the streets of Kavala. "If you and I both survive our attackers, I will kill you myself."

* * *

England and America stared around at the large, empty beach. A cool wind hit them, causing them to shake in their drenched clothes. A small town of brick and stone lay in front of them.

"Where the hell are we?" England sputtered.

* * *

China waded through scrub grass, seemingly in the middle of a large piece of grazing land. In the distance, a herd of giraffes ambled around a small copse of trees.

"Well, this is a fine setback," he grumbled. He pulled out his phone and found it thoroughly soaked through.

* * *

"Done," Jen said, satisfied. She let go of Mei, stretched, and stepped out of her circle.

Mei stumbled away, holding her arm. "What did you do to me?"

"I used your power, amplified it, and separated the nations." Jen sat on the bed. "Now we know exactly where they are, and can go to them at our leisure. Man, the big circle is crazy powerful! I don't think I could have done that spell without it."

"Jen, you're the best." Oleg stood and clapped his hands together. "Alright guys. It's time to do some hunting!"


	11. Chapter 11

Ukraine looked up from her book as Russia entered the hotel room. He glanced down at the duffel bags stacked neatly by the door, and scanned the suspicious tidiness of room. He let the door close behind him.

"The boy?"

"Dead," Ukraine said calmly, closing the book. "Safely tucked away in the mattress. No one will notice him for some time."

Russia gave his sister a pained look. "Ukraine..."

"It was necessary." She stood, shouldered one of the duffels and tucked her book away in its folds. "He was far too loyal to be flipped, and he admitted that he could still be used as a sacrifice without the dagger."

Russia reached down, grabbed his own duffel and swung it over his shoulder. "I thought it was breaking the rules for a nation to harm a human."

"It is. Where are the others?"

Russia ushered Ukraine out of the hotel room and walked briskly with her down the hotel hallway. "They have disappeared. Not like that," he added quickly as Ukraine gasped. "Someone else must have been linked to the circle we used to find the original spell. They have been transported somewhere. I did not wish to enter the circle again and find out where."

Ukraine pattered down the stairway, Russia following close behind. "Did you try calling them?"

"You will have to try." Russia kept his voice bland to hide his irritation. "My telephone was damaged."

The nations exited the hotel quickly, cautious to avoid being seen by any of the staff. As they walked down the street, Ukraine dialed first China, and then England. Her chest tightened with each unanswered ring. She took a breath and dialed America.

It rang twice before he answered. "Ukraine! You guys okay?"

There was the muffled sound of fumbling. "Give me that," she could hear England snap in the distance. "You need to translate the bloody signs! Hello?"

"England, where are you?" Ukraine steadied her voice. "Russia told me you disappeared."

"Teleported, more like," England said. "We're in a small town, some Spanish speaking nation. It's rather chilly and everything is brown. America thinks we're somewhere in South America, though he's not sure where just yet. Somewhere coastal."

Ukraine glanced up at Russia as they entered a neighborhood. "How would he know?"

"Funniest thing. He knows Spanish."

"Of course I know Spanish." America's distant scoff came over the phone. "D'you know how many of my people speak Spanish? Jeez!"

"Anyway. We're in the thick. We have no money, no papers. We left it all in the hotel room."

"I'll see what we can do." Ukraine shook her head. "We had to leave quickly, and your things are still in that room."

"Why did you have to - oh, no. You didn't kill him, did you? Christ, these people already want us dead, and -"

"Actually, that's not quite true." Ukraine stopped as Russia halted and eyed an old rusting sedan sitting in the street in front of a house with crackling paint. He motioned for her to stay, walked up to the door and knocked. "They don't want our death. They are removing the nations' ability to personify. They want to rid us of our material traits and turn us into merely ideas."

Russia whipped his head around and gave her a wide-eyed look. "Wha -" The owner opened the door. The surprise dropped from Russia's face, and he turned and gave the suspicious owner a small smile. He pointed to himself, pointed to the car, and took a billfold of Euro from his pocket, waving it in front of him. The owner narrowed his eyes at the billfold, looked up at Russia, and closed the door. He opened it again quickly and dangled a set of keys in front of him. Russia snatched the keys from his hand, tossed the man the billfold and hurried down the path. The man quickly closed the door, not wanting to witness the disappearance of an obvious set of criminals and preparing in his mind the speech he'd give his insurance company about the thieves who stole his only vehicle.

All this time, England stuttered in the phone. "But - but I don't understand. They don't want us to personify? What does that even mean? That whoever is behind us doesn't want the nations to be people? I have never heard of such a thing!"

As Russia unlocked the car, he and Ukraine tossed their bags into the back seat and climbed into the front. "It seems a strange goal, yes," Ukraine said as Russia started the car and rolled out into the street. "Though the boy was very adamant that they were doing the world a blessing. He cited Russia as an example as to why."

"Of course," Russia rumbled, turning onto a main highway.

"Well, I don't even know what to say," England said, his voice trembling a bit in anger. "That means they aren't just killing us - they're wiping our personalities from existence! This is worse than death!"

"Um, England, I think we need to go..."

"I mean, the very idea! Destroying our very personhood to -"

England cut out. "Hello?" Ukraine pulled her phone from her ear and turned it off with a sigh. "They're gone."

"Wonderful." Russia's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "We do not know where they are, we do not know where to go, and we have a set of crazed zealots after us that wish to make us into mindless dreams. I have known better times, sister."

"Yes, well." Ukraine settled into her seat. "You have also known worse."

Russia's grip loosened as he relaxed. "This is true." He smiled slightly. "I am tired of Greece. Let the zealots chase us to Turkey."

* * *

The police officer snatched the phone from England's hand and turned it off. "¿Quién eres y qué haces a estas horas de la noche?"

"Oh, uh. Lo siento, señor, estamos un poco perdidos," America said quickly.

"What's he saying?" England demanded.

"No nos gustan los vagabundos aquí, señores," the police officer said gruffly.

"He thinks we're bums." America looked down at his mussed, damn clothing. "I guess we do look like bums. Te lo prometo, no somos vagos! Acaba de perder turistas!"

The police officer narrowed his eyes. "¿Dónde vives?"

"Uh..." America looked at England. "Where are we staying, bro?"

"Oh for goodness sake." England threw up his hands. "Let's just walk away! What is he going to do, arrest us for walking on the streets at night?"

"He has my phone," America said with gritted teeth.

"Basta Inglés!" the police officer snapped. "Denme sus pasaportes."

America looked at the officer wide-eyed, then suddenly snatched his phone away and started running. England sputtered for a second, then followed. The policeman screamed after them before calling for support on his walkie talkie.

"What on earth were you thinking," England cried.

"He wanted our passports!" America countered. "You don't have one. I don't have one! What else could I do?"

They turned down a street as sirens wailed behind them.

"I would have told them we were robbed on the beach, you idiot!" England huffed.

"Oh. Yeah, that could have been better."

They rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. A police car blocked their way. An officer pointed a gun at them. They turned, and found a couple more officers catching up to them on foot. "Las manos en el aire!" one of them cried. America's hands shot up. England followed suit, raising his hands slowly.

"America, I hate you so very, _very_ much right now," he muttered.

* * *

China entered the small village and walked into a convenience store. He looked at a paper settled in a rack by the door, nodded, and in English asked the clerk, "Excuse me, does this village have an inn?"

"Oh yes, a few," the clerk said, nodding and pointing down the street. "Just follow the main road through town, and you will find a number, I think, to your liking."

"Thank you." He purchased a soda and left. He made sure to keep Adelina's dagger hidden on his person as he walked down the street, not wanting any more attention than he would already draw as a bedraggled Chinese man in a small South African town. He allowed himself to feel relief for having the foresight to keep his wallet and his passport on his person like travelling humans tended to do.

_Well, they've put us in a compromising position,_ he thought. _But it will do no good to worry. And running seems annoying and a delay of the inevitable at this point. I think it best to prepare and wait. _

* * *

Mei watched Ukraine and Russia as they drove off in their newly purchased vehicle. She followed them as best she could, flickering in and out, tracking them down the highway, content that they would be on the main stretch for a bit before flickering across the ocean to witness England and America's capture. She thrilled at the convenience of this development before flickering back across the ocean and watching as China entered a small hotel. She frowned, and flickered back to Greece, continuing to track Ukraine and Russia.

"Ukraine and Russia are the only ones who are traveling," she said mechanically into her comlink. "England and America have been arrested for something, I'm not sure what, China is settling down in the village. It might be better to take care of one of those three first."

"No." Oleg's voice crackled over the link. "You're the only one who can track any of them. We'll rescue Will and get Ukraine and Russia. Then Jen and Will can finish America and England. You'll be last, but I know you can handle China, right?"

Mei hesitated. "I was unsuccessful at my last encounter," she said slowly.

"But you'll be successful this time," Oleg said firmly. "Go on, keep tracking Ukraine and Russia. We've gotta make up lost time, and we're less than a day behind them."

Mei's lips thinned. She watched Russia and Ukraine's car speed past her and blinked further down the stretch of road.


	12. Chapter 12

"My Lady, come away from the gunwale!" The young man nervously tugged at her fur-lined cloak, keeping his head low. "The natives here are not all friendly. You would not want to catch an arrow!"

She smiled and gently shook the young man off. "I am not worried, Svyetoslav. Trust me, it would take more than an arrow to worry me. And any would shoot at me -" she patted the bow that crossed her chest, "-I will shoot them back."

As she spoke, the boat rounded past a bank of trees and a village appeared, sliced into the deep, evergreen forest.

"Ho! Camp sighted! To shore!" The crew of the riverboat jumped to action at the captain's call. Rowers ran to their stations, and the boy manning the tiller gave it a hard push. Slowly the boat maneuvered out of the main current of the river and glided to the bustling shoreline. number of men stood at the edge of the boat with long shafts, breaking up the thin ice that clung to the shore. (The spring thaw had begun, but the nights still had the sharp bite ow winter, bringing with it the frost.)The crew threw anchors and tied off the boat on a short dock, then hurried below deck to unload the goods they had brought to trade. Villagers ran for the docks, carrying their own wares.

She wove through the chaos and tapped the captain's shoulder. "When will you cast off again?"

"Oh, certainly not until tomorrow," the captain said, his eyes slightly glazed. "This village is safe, and their mead and women are good."

She grimaced and nodded. "Enjoy yourself, then. I will meet you in the morning." She jumped from the dock and wandered down the banks of the river, humming a tune to herself. It was a cool day, and the mud coated her boots. She was thankful that out here in the wild she could wear leather jerkin, cloth tunic and high boots rather than the long, sweeping, wide-sleeved robes her bosses preferred her to wear at court. Her hair was braided and piled on top of her head, out of the way. She would cut it off, but again the bosses considered feminine beauty to be tied up in long tresses.

She crossed into the tree line, her footsteps muffled by the layer of needles carpeting the floor of the forest so thickly that the mud did not touch her. Birds twittered in the trees, brought back from warmer locals by the promise of spring. She breathed in deep and smiled up at the towering trees.

The crack of a branch brought her back to attention. She swung around, flipping her bow off her shoulder and nocking an arrow against the string.

"Who's there?" she asked sternly. Another crack came from behind her. She turned swiftly, drawing back the string. "I can hear you, and I am armed. I promise you, any attack against me will be for naught." She paused and whispered under her breath, "though it will hurt, I'm sure."

There was a long pause. Slowly, a small boy peeked his head out from behind the wide trunk of a pine tree. He stared at her with wide, blue eyes, his long, dirty, sandy hair hiding much of his face. She lowered her her bow.

"You gave me a fright," she said, her voice serious though relief filled her. "I could have hurt you."

The boy said nothing, still staring at her while clinging to the tree. He was wearing a ragged shirt and pants, brown with ground-in mud. He had no shoes on his feet, not even something so simple as old cloth bound with twine. She quivered her arrow, flipped her bow over her shoulder and crouched.

"Boy, do you understand what I'm saying? Do you know the language of the 'Rus?" She held out a hand.

The boy nodded and came out from behind the tree a little further. "Who are the 'Rus?" His voice had the thick accent of the locals.

She smiled. "I am the 'Rus. Kievan 'Rus. We are a strong people, a free people ruled by dukes, friends of Byzantine. And what's your name?"

The boy shook his head. "I have no name. They call me boy. And forest sprite. And domovoi. And other things."

Her face softened. "Are you not cold, boy? Your feet..." She stared at them and frowned. "They have no sign of frostbite. How odd."

The boy shuffled closer. "I am always cold. I have always been cold."

Kievan 'Rus leaned forward. "No one clothes you? Your mother? Your father?"

"I have none of these." The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve and took another step forward. "I never had." He brightened for a second. "Once there was a girl. She was very nice. She gave me these clothes because she was mad at the people for chasing me away. The people are always afraid of me, 'specially the chief. He yells all the time and sometimes kicks me. But." The boy's face drooped. "The girl grew up, and grew old, and died. She was the last one to give me food I did not take when no one was looking. I miss her. She called me leshi."

Kievan 'Rus kept her breath steady and her face kind, but inside she thrilled. "Have many people grown up while you stay little?" She asked carefully.

"Many." The boy threw his hands wide. "Many, many!"

She smiled slowly. Slowly, she unwrapped a long, woolen scarf from around her neck. "Come here, boy. Let me warm you." The boy hesitated. "I promise, I will not hurt you."

The boy stepped a little closer, close enough for Kievan 'Rus to wrap the scarf around his neck. Even with many loops, it was too long, and the ends hit the backs of his feet. He petted the cloth and smiled a wide, gap-toothed smile. She gently took his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Boy, I think you are like me. You are very special - a person who is also a tribe. This is why others grow old around you. I would very much like to bring you home to the people I know. If you come with me, I will make sure you have food, and warm clothes. Nice clothes, like the ones I wear. Would you like this?"

The boy looked troubled. "I...I do not know. The chief may be mad if I go. He does not like me, but he will not let me run away."

Kievan 'Rus touched her forehead to his. "Forget this chief. I promise, I will never hurt you, little brother."

The boy broke into another smile. She stood and took him by the hand. They walked the forest together, she asking him questions, he explaining their surroundings excitedly.

* * *

"You've had enough, little brother." Ukraine reached out and took the shot of vodka from his hand. "We are still on the run. Perhaps we should be more alert?"

"I see no point." Russia snatched the shot back and swallowed it. "Why fight the inevitable? These people do not even want us dead. They want us out of existence. And they have almost succeeded. There are only five of us left. Ha!" He slammed the glass next to a line of others on the bar. "We do not know if the others survive still. We may be the only ones left."

"And if that's so, we are the only ones who can fight back." Ukraine took his arm and gave him a disapproving look. "I have never known you to simply give up. We may not survive, but you will fight back." He did not look at her as he tapped the bar for another drink. She raised her brows. "You _will_ fight back, won't you? Even if we are the last survivors?"

"They want us gone because they think we have too much power. That as people we can destroy the world." He furrowed his brows and stared at the bar. "I have had a long time to think," he said slowly. "Fifteen years in a cell. My life...it has not been so good. And the things I have done..." He glanced at Ukraine as the bartender gave him another shot. "Perhaps these people are right. Perhaps I would be better as an idea. Perhaps without thought, without sentience, then I will be at peace. I have rarely known peace."

"Neither have I," she said shortly. Before Russia had time to reach for the shot, she took it and drank it, setting the glass next to the line. "Neither has any nation. This is who we are. You cannot fight against who we are." She jumped off her stool. "But we can fight for our right to exist. I will not speak to you while you act like this."

"Like what?" He said testily, his usually carefully cheerful face screwed up in frustration.

"Like a petulant child," she snapped. "'Oh, my life has been so hard because people I know have died, and the things I have done have been so bad!'" She prodded his chest. "You are who you are. I would think after a millennium you would accept this. I am going back to the hotel."

She walked off, weaving through the happy groups of carousers and exiting the bar. Russia waved a hand at her and turned back to the bar. He held out a fist to tap the bar again, but hesitated. He growled in frustration, threw money on the bar and ran after her into the busy night streets of Ankara. He looked up and down the sidewalks, but she was hidden by the crowds. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slouched off in the direction of the hotel, sliding into empty side streets.

Ukraine watched him walk off from her hiding place in an alley next to the bar. She smiled a little and followed a good pace behind him.

* * *

The streets were increasingly dark as Russia walked on, and for the first time in his very long life the back of his neck prickled with worry at being out so late in unknown city streets.

"If this is what humans feel all the time, perhaps Ukraine is right," he muttered, glancing around the streets. Suddenly, a thick, cloying sensation stopped him in his tracks. The spell hit him before he had a chance to react. He froze as dizziness enveloped him. He shook his head and stumbled forward. "Out of the circle, out of the circle!" He chanted to himself.

"Stop!" The voice filled him with such a strong desire to follow that he could not disobey. Russia stopped and stood still. His head reeled. "Good. Now, on your knees." He fought against the voice, but it hurt to deny it. Slowly, painfully, he lowered himself to his knees.

From the shadows of a nearby alley, Ukraine covered her mouth. She glanced around the street, noting two people on the roofs, two others tucked away in the alley Russia was about to pass before the voice began its demands. She could feel the draw of that voice. Though it was not directed at her, she wanted to do as it wished, and almost found herself on her knees. She bit her lip and ran back the way she came.

Russia stared at the ground, surprised at his body's unwillingness to move. He blinked and shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear it. "You have me," he said. "Your voice is enough. At the very least release me from the spell."

There was a moment of silence. "You can do as he says," the voice said finally. "I don't think Ukraine is coming this way. Mei, go find her."

The spell fell, and the dizziness it caused vanished. Russia looked up toward where the spell originated and smiled. "You can use blood magic with just a circle and no blood? Your group has increasingly interesting abilities. I imagine this is not a coincidence."

"Quiet." A young man, Oleg, stepped out of the shadows. He kept his distance from Russia, sizing him up. "You are Russia? You don't seem so powerful to me."

Russia shrugged. "I apologize for not meeting your expectations," he murmured.

"When I say quiet, I mean don't speak," Oleg said testily. "Not speak quietly. What I mean to say is, I have been waiting for this day since childhood. Waiting for my revenge. And now that it's here, you seem so small." Oleg unsheathed his dagger and spun it in his hand. "Fifteen years ago, my parents were killed in a riot during the Event. The Event that you caused, Russia. I was small, I had no family. Do you know what it's like to be small and cold and alone in the world?" Russia grinned at him. Oleg pointed the dagger at him and snarled. "Stop that! Of course you don't! It was nightmarish! But then..." he broke out into a beatific smile. "Lady Tara found me. She knew I was special. Knew I would be the one to end you. Once she told me that you were the one who killed my parents, I knew I had to be the one." He stepped up close to Russia and patted his face. "Now I will go to heaven and join my family. And you will be gone from this world for good. Goodbye, Russia."

Oleg lifted the dagger -

- and it was smacked from his hand by a broom handle. Ukraine whipped the handle around and hit him smartly in the back of the knees. Oleg cried out as she whipped the handle up and knocked him in the jaw. He fell to the ground as she swiftly picked up the dagger. As she did, before the others in the party had time to react, Russia swiftly took control of the spell circle, throwing a barrier around the circumference. Jen, the spell castor, fought his spell, but was unable to break through. Elena ran into the circle before the barrier took effect, taking out her handgun and aiming for Ukraine. Ukraine quickly tucked the dagger in her belt and ran toward Elena, broom handle held out like a pike. Elena fired, grazing Ukraine's shoulder as the handle slammed into Elena's gut, throwing her to the ground. The gun clattered over the pavement.

Oleg recovered, staggering to his feet. "Stop!" He cried out, walking toward her with his hand held out. "Don't move!"

Ukraine ignored him, swinging around and catching his arm with the handle. "Oh, if only I had a sword," she said as she smacked Oleg's knees. "I could always do so much more with a sword."

"Stop!" Oleg screamed, stumbling back.

"What's that?" Ukraine smiled grimly. "I'm afraid I accidentally got a bit of candle wax in my ears. I cannot hear a thing."

Elena attempted to rise. Ukraine smacked her back twice, flooring her again, then flipped the handle around and hit Oleg in the ear. He clapped a hand against it and stumbled away from Ukraine again. She removed the dagger from her belt. "This is such a dangerous weapon for someone so young and untrained in the art of war," she said, holding it up above her head. "I think it will serve better as scrap metal." She brought it down hard against the pavement. A flash of power lit the dark street for a moment as the blade shattered. Enraged, Oleg ran at Ukraine. She leapt forward and caught him in the chest with the shard of the dagger. Oleg gasped, blood running from his mouth as he slipped to the ground. His eyes went vacant. Immediately Russia was released from the power of his voice.

Elena screamed, jumped up and ran at Ukraine as she let go of the handle of the dagger. Elena drew her own dagger as Ukraine turned to ready herself - but Elena was too swift. The young woman tackled the nation, stunning her.

"Ukraine!" Russia cried out, taking two steps forward as Elena plunged her dagger into Ukraine's chest. Ukraine gasped as Elena rolled off of her. Russia kneeled at Ukraine's side. The protection spell flickered as he pulled the dagger from his sister, his blue eyes wide with despair. Ukraine smiled at him as she began to fade. She pulled her phone from her pocket, handed it to him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Always fight back," she said. She faded and disappeared. Beside her, Elena crumbled to dust.

Russia stood, trembling, one hand holding the dagger, the other the phone. The protection spell flickered as Jen tried to break through it. He looked up at where Jen was hidden in the shadows of the roof and clenched his teeth.

"Little sorcerer, I can feel you," he rumbled. His eyes flashed and the circle emanated a bright green light. The ground shook, shockwaves causing the buildings to quiver. Jen was thrown off her feet. She fell against the edge of the roof, her concentration broken.

"Be careful, Russia!" She cried. "Oleg may be dead, but I can still do you some damage! You've gotta sleep sometime, right? I can wait."

"Wait as long as you wish," Russia hissed. "If you come for me, you will not survive."

"Let's make a deal then," Jen said, her voice wobbling and unsure. "I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone -"

"Deal!" Russia snapped.

"-IF you give me Will!"

"Will?" Russia gave a sharp bark of a laugh. "Was that the boy? The other spell castor? He is dead, little sorcerer. Killed by my sister, just like this sad creature." Russia pointed at Oleg with the dagger.

"No," Jen groaned.

"Oh, yes. And now that my sister is gone, I feel no need to hold back against my attackers." He made the ground quake again, stronger this time. "Do you wish to try me?"

Jen steeled herself and prepared a spell in her mind.

"Wait." Mei appeared beside her and took her hand. "This does no good. You cannot kill him, and he is not yours to take down."

"But - but Oleg and Will -" Jen's voice broke.

"I know. But America and China are still out there. We must do what we can."

Jen stared at Mei and slowly nodded. The two young women ran off into the night.

Russia waited for another attack, tense. As the minutes passed and he realized that he was safe, he relaxed. He sunk to the ground, sitting with his arm flung across his face. The protection spell flickered out.


	13. Chapter 13

America leaned over the bed and reached out a hand, holding it above the little girl's mouth. A flutter of breath brushed his fingers.

"Still alive," he whispered.

He crouched next to the bed and knocked up the brim of his kepi with his thumb, then crossed his arms on top of the quilt. His scabbard scraped against the wood floor. He watched the girl's pale, waxy face, waiting for any sign of the animated, cheerful stubbornness that had so exasperated him in the last five years.

The door opened and closed behind him. He did not look up as his boss crossed the room and stood next to him.

"Still attending your vigil?" His boss's voice was calm and kind.

"I don't get it." America propped his head against a fist. "I knew she wasn't a state, cause the states are all still around, even if they're pissed. But I thought maybe she was a town or something, someone who got a boost from being named a country. I mean, have you ever heard of someone just appearing out of thin air?"

"You have never witnessed the creation of a nation?"

America looked up, and then further up at his towering boss. "You kidding? I haven't been around long enough. Hell, even the states were all little tribes before being picked up into colonies. But a bunch of guys sign a piece of paper and poof! there she is, runnin' around, kicking my shins." He lowered his head into his crossed arms. "And now some guys sign a paper, and she's dyin'."

There was a moment of silence between country and boss. The boss placed a hand on America's head, pushing his hat down his brow.

"It was necessary, America," the boss said soothingly. "Her death means a preservation of the Union. You will no longer be pushed around by your states. They will without question be stationed under you. And also, the freedoms granted to the people her government would have kept in bondage is right and necessary."

"I know all this," America said, brushing his boss's hand away. "I get it, all right? This is all a great and wonderful and swell thing. But look at her!" He waved a hand over the little girl. "She's just a little kid!"

"She is not," his boss said firmly. "She is trouble shaped like a child. If she had won, she would be fully grown and a thorn in our side. You would grow to hate her."

"Maybe." America looked up and gave him a sorrowful look. "But it's not fair. She didn't know any better!"

The girl gasped for breath and opened her eyes. She blinked and looked around aimlessly. America took her cold hand and squeezed it between his. "Confederacy? Hey, Connie? You alright?"

She turned her head towards him, confused and addled. "Big brother Union? Where am I?" Her voice was small and weak.

"You're safe," America said, smiling. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"I feel...I'm so tired." She trembled. "Union, I'm scared."

"Aw, no, don't be scared." America kept his voice light. "You'll see. In a minute, you'll be so happy. So very, very happy!"

The little girl smiled a wobbly smile and closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath, and went still. America placed her hand on her unmoving chest and bowed his head.

"I'll give you a moment. Then we must discuss how we will move forward." His boss left the room. America covered his face with his hands, unsure if he was supposed to grieve, or feel relieved.

* * *

America paced the tiny cell he and England shared. Two days trapped together in the same small space had led to frayed nerves. The floor was covered in circles, scraped into the concrete with the metal spoons they received with meals.

"I just don't get it," America said, throwing up his hands. "I mean, what's the point of knowing magic if you can't blast your way through the bars! I saw Russia cause a mini-earthquake!"

England was sprawled on the straw pallet thrown off in a corner. He covered his eyes with a hand. "I told you, that isn't the sort of magic I dally in. I've never been able to simply make a circle with whatever I have on hand, and I've tried, but I cannot make things explode or whatever it is you want me to do. I do potions, and protection spells, and healing spells, and yes a little blood magic. And I can lend my power to others. But blasting through the bars? Apparently such a crass use of power is beyond me."

"Of course, sorry, I forgot you're to refined to get your hands dirty," America said sarcastically, flopping to the floor. "Too much of a stick in the mud to do something fun or useful like blow up the wall and get us the hell out of here!" America brightened a bit. "What about, like, melting things? That's not as destructive! Melt the bars!"

England rubbed the bridge of his nose. "For the last time, America, that isn't what I do! Now please, do _shut up_."

The door to the cell room opened, and a jailhouse guard entered carrying two trays of a gray slurry and hard bread they called food. He shoved the trays through the bars, which America leapt up and caught before they hit the floor.

"A buena noticia," the guard said with a grin. "He oído a algunos hombres en Buenos Aires están muy interesados en ti! Se le puede salir muy pronto!" The guard chuckled and left.

England sat up on the pallet. "What did he say?"

America gave him his tray and sat next to him, troubled. "I know where we are, now. We're somewhere in Argentina." He took up a spoon and started shoveling slurry into his mouth. "We're being shipped to Buenos Aires."

"Damn!" England slammed his tray on the concrete floor. "If they'd only let us phone, I could call Elizabeth and get us out of this mess! Stupid small town bobbies!"

The brothers sat in silence for a moment, England stewing as America cleaned his tray. A prickling sensation tickled the back of England's neck. America yawned and dropped his tray.

"Man, I don't know why, but all of a sudden I just can't keep my eyes open," he mumbled, swaying.

England stared at him drowsily, then stood and dragged America to the center of one of the makeshift circles. He activated it, creating a barrier. Power crackled as the spell hit against the sleeping spell.

America was instantly alert. "What just happened?" he said, spooked.

"They're here," England replied, voice heavy.

The brothers held their breath, ears straining for any noise out of the ordinary. There was a light thud beyond the cell room door. Slowly the door opened, revealing Jen, her eyes glowing bright yellow. She meandered up to the bars swinging a set of keys.

"This is almost too easy," she said with a grin.

"So you're my sacrifice?" America tilted his head and sized her up. "Yeah, I think I got the best of the bunch."

"Thank you," Jen said cheerfully as England elbowed America in the side. "Now, are you gonna be good and let me stab you? I promise it'll be quick." She leaned against the bars. "Everyone else has been such a pain. You're the only ones left."

England's stomach dropped. "That can't be true," he said, licking his lips.

"Oh, it is." Jen shrugged. "Ukraine and Russia, China and Germany, all went kuput!" She unlocked the cell and threw it open. Her eyes flashed. England's circle was hit by more power, but he was able to stave it off. Jen pouted. "Aw, come on, be good. You are like literally fish in a barrel here."

"Then stop talking and come and get us," England snapped.

Jen walked forward a few feet, still grinning -

- and crossed into one of England's circles. Quickly he activated a barrier. Jen gasped and jumped away before the barrier trapped her. She landed in another circle, which England activated. She jumped away again, her concentration broken. The sleeping spell lifted as she fell against the bars into another circle. Dragging America into another circle close to the cell's opening, England activated both his and Jen's circle. Jen fought the spell with a wave of power, but the barrier held.

"Stay here," England said, letting go of America and crossing through the barrier of their circle. Trapped in her own circle, Jen attempted another spell, but her power wouldn't pass his barrier. She screeched with frustration. Keeping his concentration, England grabbed the thin blanket from the pallet. He tightened it between his fists and came up close to the edge of Jen's circle.

"I'm sorry, love, but I cannot let you live."

He swiftly crossed into Jen's circle and threw the blanket around her neck, tightening it. Jen's eyes flashed as she fought back, scratching at his hands and drawing blood. She smeared the blood on the blanket. Suddenly it came alive, twisting from England's grip and catching up his wrists. She doubled over as the blanket freed her neck, gasping for breath. The blanket dragged England away. He kicked out, landing a blow to her temple. She fell flat on the ground, stunned. The blanket dragged him to the bars and tied his arms tightly to them.

"America, quickly now!" England cried as he struggled against the blanket. "She should have a dagger on her! Find it and kill her!"

England let the barrier around America and Jen drop. America ran to Jen's side and searched her, finding the dagger tied to her left calf under her jeans. He pulled it free from its sheath and looked down on her.

"That's it!" England cried. "Quick! Quick!"

Jen's eyelids fluttered. Her thin face was covered by her hair. "Aw, but she's just a kid," America said sorrowfully. "Jesus, England, I've never killed anyone before, especially not a kid."

"You must be joking!" England snapped. "You've been in more than one war! I've seen you shoot at enemy soldiers!"

"Yeah, shoot to wound, not to kill!" America held the dagger over Jen's heart. "Damn it, I don't think I can do this. I'm not a killer!"

"Unbelievable!" England shook his head in disgust. "You are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands! Remember slavery? Remember every war you've ever fought? Oh, the trail of tears, that was a pretty one I think -"

"Every single one of those things was caused by my people, _not me_," America snarled. He flicked off his glasses and flung them at England, glowering. "I never, NEVER said I supported any of those things! I didn't go down to the plantations and help my bastard asshole people drive my bonded people into the grave! I never marched along with my people driving more of my people out of their land! And I'm tellin' ya, I never aimed a gun or a knife or whatever at some poor sap on the battlefield to kill him! My people do some horrible shit to each other and to other people, and they fight in wars, and I sure as shit have to let 'em , but that doesn't mean I have to support it! And it doesn't mean I have to kill!"

America stared England down, breathing heavily. The England's eyebrows rose in shock and surprise.

"I didn't know - I mean, I wasn't -" England shook his head to clear it. "Listen," he said firmly. "All of that is very well and good, but this is for your survival!"

"If I have to take a life to survive, then fuck it." America lowered the dagger. "I won't be me anymore."

"Then let me do it," England pleaded. "Untie me!"

Jen's eyes snapped open and flashed with power. She grabbed America's hand. England cried out and tried to activate the circle. Jen was too fast, placing her own spell on the circle. America went limp and groggy, the dagger slipping from his grip. Jen carefully took it from him, smiled at England, and plunged the dagger into America's heart. She let go and fell back, laughing.

"I did it," she said, wiping her eyes. "I can't believe I did it!"

England broke into tears. "What happened to fight or die you stupid stubborn twit!"

America pulled out the dagger as he faded. His face was serene. "I'm sorry bro," America said with a shrug. "Principles over life any day. That's something I've always been about. You know, I'm not really afraid to be just an idea." He broke out into a grin. "I think my people are always a little better when they remember me as a really good idea."

He winked out as Jen crumbled to dust. The spelled blanket unknotted itself and fell to the floor. England pounded the bars, swearing and weeping.


	14. Chapter 14

"I can do this," Jen said as the sleeping spell fell over the police station. "How hard can it be? England's a magician, sure, but I can take him."

"Are you sure you don't want backup?" They walked through the quiet halls, stepping over slumped guards. "Two nations at once - that's quite a challenge."

"Only come for me if I'm in trouble." They stopped in front of the cell room door. Jen stole the ring of keys from the guard. "We've already lost two people. We can't risk your death, right?" Jen turned and hugged Mei tightly. "I can't believe our task is almost over. Promise me that when we see each other in heaven, we'll still be best friends?"

Mei hugged her back, holding back tears. "Of course. Always."

Jen pulled away, smiled, and entered the cell room.

Mei peeked through the door, watching the fight. She nearly popped into the room when England caught Jen by the throat, and again as America hovered over Jen with the dagger. But America's hesitation gave her pause. She listened intently to his speech, surprised at his lack of blood lust. And as he faded away, smiling at England, she thought of Ukraine, who touched her brother's cheek and told him to fight. And of Germany, who died in peace knowing the information he know about the other nations died with him. Or of Italy, caught for showing concern for a friend during battle.

"But Jen succeeded," she said to herself firmly. "As she wanted."

_Still_, she thought as she watched England slam himself against the bars. _Could someone monstrous be so full of grief?_

"No, what we have done is right," she whispered. "Even evil loves something."

_But America never killed_, she thought. _At least he claimed he never killed, and why would he lie to England? The things done by his people would have been done whether or not he personified. Does he deserve nonexistence?_

"But not all of them are so passive!" She covered her mouth. Her thoughts were a jumble. She held her hands against her ears to quiet them. "Lady Tara will know what I should do."

She flickered away, the world passing by her in a blur before snapping into focus. The high, echoing corridors of the monastery surrounded her. She sighed, feeling instant relief and comfort to be back in the halls of her youth. However, the stillness and solitude of the place, once bustling with activity, was eerie to her. Here was where she made her first friends, had her first crushes, learned about the world, learned to hone her powers. And now it was empty, like a tomb for her peers gone before her. She shivered and popped out of the hallway, materializing in the long, wide gardens. The pungent perfume of flowers from all ends of the earth filled the air. She walked the gravel paths, brushing petals with her fingers. She rounded a corner into the rose garden, following the sound of humming.

In the center of the square of roses, Lady Tara pruned a bush filled with yellow blooms. She looked up from her task and smiled.

"Mei, my darling." She set her shears in a basket by her feet and opened her arms. "You have come back."

Mei ran into Lady Tara's arms and squeezed her tight. "I'm sorry for coming. I know I must finish my task, but -"

"Nonsense." Lady Tara pushed her away gently and smiled up at her. "You still have time. It is good to see you. How are the others?"

Mei brightened. "Almost all of us have completed our task," she said excitedly. "Only three nations remain."

"That's wonderful news!"

Mei's face fell. "But we've lost two. Will and Oleg. They...were killed...before they were successful."

Lady Tara's beaming face froze. Slowly it crumpled into grief. She covered her face with her hands. "Oh. My poor boys. To give their lives without finishing their tasks. How dreadful." She wiped her eyes roughly and her face hardened. "So, England survives. And Russia! That heinous creature. He is like the cockroach, Mei. You crush him, but he pops back up, ready to spread his disease." She took Mei's cheeks between her hands. "Listen closely, my dear. I will destroy them both. I cannot end them without the sacrifices, but there are other ways. Revenge will be had."

She patted Mei's cheeks then leaned down carefully and picked up her shears. She went back to pruning the roses, her actions rougher than before. Mei watched her for a moment before speaking again.

"Lady, I have a question." Her usually confident voice was small and hesitant. "I overheard America speaking. He...well, he claimed he had never killed a human."

"And you believe him?" Lady Tara smiled as she continued her pruning.

"I do. He wasn't talking to me or any other sacrifice." Mei fingered the petals of one of the roses. "He said that his people are responsible for wrongdoing done in his name, not him. If...if he never was a person, they would have done wrong anyway. Is this true?"

"Look at this bush, child. There are many, many blooms, are there not? Now, if I were to allow every bloom to grow, some of them will come out small, and sickly and rotten. I cut off any that seem to be going this direction." Lady Tara cut through the stem of a rose and held it out to Mei. "But I also cut off blooms that seem perfectly healthy. I do this so that the plant will be healthy - so that it won't have to feed either the rotten blossoms or over exert itself feeding the blossoms it cannot handle. Do you understand?"

Mei took the rose and twirled it in her hand. "But people are not flowers," she said dubiously. "You cannot cut them all down just to get rid of the rotten ones."

Lady Tara chuckled. "You make a mistake. The nations are not people, darling. They come and they go at the will of the people." She moved on to another bush. "Sentient nations cause people pain and anguish. When nations have free will, they become a liability. It's too much for the Earth to handle. And so they must be pruned. Every." Snip. "Last." Snip. "One." She looked up from her task. "China is waiting for you, child. You were chosen especially for him. Prove to me that I made the right choice."

Mei held the rose in her fist tightly, letting the thorns tear into her palm. She nodded. "Yes, Lady." She winked out.

Lady Tara shook her head as she slashed away at the rose bush. "Tiring child."

* * *

China looked up from his book. The small hotel garden he sat in was filled with birdsong, which, contrary to tradition, did not silence as his foe approached him. Mei stood on the path in front of him, legs in a wide stance. He placed his book on the bench beside him and stood, straightening his shirt.

"You took your time," he said calmly.

"I've come to rid the world of you, China." Mei lifted her dagger, holding it in her fist with the blade pointed down.

China smiled slightly. "How do you know the world wants me gone?"

"Because I'm here," Mei snapped. "I wouldn't exist with the powers I have if I wasn't supposed to end you."

"Ah. I suppose this is something you were taught by your patron." China took a step forward. "And I don't deny that some of us have taken liberties with our duties." He took another step. "But I am not one of these foolhardy nations. And I have no desire to become a mere idea. I have lived for too long to be taken down by a child."

Before Mei had time to react, China flew forward, took her by the arm, twisted it behind her forcing the dagger from her grip and threw her to the ground. She flickered out before she hit, and flickered back onto the path, standing a few feet in front of him.

He held up the dagger. "This thing is linked to her circle, yes? Let's break that link and have a chat." His eyes glowed for a moment, and the dagger burst into bits of tiny shrapnel, landing harmlessly in a circle around him. Mei stared at the smoking metal bits with wide, shocked eyes. He tsked in irritation. "Technically I shouldn't be using magic so cavalierly. But you and your little cult have pushed my limits. Sit."

Still shocked by the dagger's destruction, Mei sat on the bench without protest. She bowed her head. "I can still be used as a sacrifice," she whispered.

"Of course." China sat next to her and crossed his arms. "And I can, of course, kill you before your patron has the opportunity. And if I didn't think I had a chance to change your mind, this is what I would have done already. But you seem like a sensible girl."

Mei looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You ran away the first time you fought me. You knew I was too strong for you. Very sensible." China leaned back. "And you barely put up a fight now. Almost as if you wanted me to defeat you. Quite sensible. Now tell me - why do you hesitate, girl? Why have you not thrown yourself at me?"

There was silence for a moment, save for the birdsong. Finally, Mei spoke. "Lady Tara's reasons for ending the sentience of the nations are, of course, right." Her voice faltered. "They have too much power, of course they do! They think they can do whatever they want, be whatever they want, force their people to become whatever they want. Except..." she covered her face with her hands. "Except it's not really true, is it? The nations that went crazy and killed people, they're the exception, aren't they? My best fri - Jen. She was the sacrifice for America. I convinced her to go after him, even though it seemed hopeless - she would die before the task was complete. Because this is what Lady Tara would want. And I was right - Jen lost the battle and America had the opportunity to kill her. But he didn't! He just stood there, refusing to take that step, and because of his refusal, Jen was able to end him! He...sacrificed himself so he wouldn't become a killer."

"Not all nations are so noble," China said sardonically.

"Ukraine killed Will and Oleg," Mei said, almost to herself. China perked up at that, but let her speak. "But she did it for the survival of others. Killing them did nothing for her. And Elena caught her because she was protecting Russia. Why would she go to such lengths for another nation?"

"She always did have a soft spot for her little brother," China nodded.

"Brother?" Mei gave China a bemused look.

"Yes, yes, we have brothers and sisters." China smiled. "It's one of those things we can choose to do, you know. See each other as siblings. Sometimes it is better to have family to look out for." He reached behind him and touched his back. "And sometimes not."

"I just don't understand! Lady Tara said you all were evil, but that's not true. And if you can have brothers and sisters, and refuse to kill, and kill to help others survive, and even if you rise up and do terrible things, what does that mean? _What are you?_"

China shrugged. "We are nations. We are people. We are both. It's not that hard, you know. And people aren't infallible - which means nations aren't infallible, either. It seems your Lady Tara is punishing us for this fact."

Mei stared down at her hands. "I don't know if I want to die for something I'm so unsure of," she murmured.

"Then don't." China stood and picked up his book. "You don't have to attack me, which means you won't die by my hand. And I have a feeling that for any spell to work with you as a sacrifice, you must be willing, yes? A group of willing sacrifices, all trained to hate the nations. Your Lady Tara is an interesting person. So you will not die through Lady Tara. My advice to you, girl, is to find a life away from this. Forget what you've been taught about nations. Make your own decision of the life you wish to lead rather than listen to some crazy person willing to kill one hundred and ninety children to reach her goal. How does that sound?"

Mei looked hopeful and scared. "But what do I do?"

"Whatever you want. I'm certainly not in charge of you. In fact, as my citizen it is quite the opposite. Now excuse me." China gave her a deep bow. "I must make a phone call."

He wandered down the garden path, back to the hotel. Mei watched him leave, her heart swelling, then flickered away.


	15. Chapter 15

He was numb. Before, England could hold off the anger and sadness that filled him when he thought of the loss of his island brothers, or his allies and friends, or even his longtime enemies. Now the weight of all the people he lost held him against the bars, unable to stand. He barely registered when the sleeping spell wore off and the guards ran into the cell room screaming at him, pointing their weapons, asking questions he could not understand. He did not resist when they dragged him to his feet, cuffing his wrists behind his back, and bundled him into a police van.

He did not perceive how long he was in the van. At one point he dosed. It was dark again by the time the vehicle's doors opened and the officers escorted him out and into a stone building along a busy street. Another set of men, these dressed in suits, stopped the police officers. There was an argument between officers and suits, and England was begrudgingly uncuffed by one of the policemen. The police men left him with the suits.

His entourage entered a large, echoing lobby of marble and glass. It had the appearance of being quite full during the day, but at the moment only a small security team was visible behind a desk at the end of the room. They walked past the desk and filed into an elevator, then filed out again on the top floor. The suits led him down a long hallway and into a room. The room had a large bed and a bathroom, and though not very elegant, was serviceable enough for a mid-class hotel. England registered this just enough to be slightly confused.

"For you," one of the suited men said, pointing to a set of clothes on the bed. "Please bathe."

The men left him alone in the room. He stood in the middle of the floor, unsure of what to do. He decided to allow himself to be ordered about for now, and proceeded to shower, shave and dress in the blessedly clean clothes - a simple white button-up with gray stripes, black slacks and black oxfords. He sat on the bed and waited. Sure enough, one of the suited men eventually entered the room and ushered him into the hallway. The black suits surrounded him as they walked on, silent and serious. England took this in stride, his shock stamping down any questions of where he might be and where he was being escorted.

Finally they stopped in front of another room, and a suit opened a door and waved him inside. England did as was expected, and the door closed behind him. He blinked and looked around the room, another hotel-style bedroom. Water was running in the bathroom. England cleared his throat.

"Uh. Hello?"

Russia popped his head around the door, brushing his teeth vigorously. His eyebrows shot up. He held up a finger, popped back into the bathroom, spat, gargled and wiped his face. Then he bounded into the bedroom, wrapped his arms around England and squeezed hard enough to lift the smaller nation from his feet.

"I am glad to know you survive!" He boomed, dropping England and giving him a solid pat on the back. "I feared the worst!"

"Wh- how are you - I mean what - where did you -" England sputtered with surprise. He sat on the bed as Russia grabbed a white collar shirt from a nearby chest of drawers and threw it on, then opened a closet and pulled out a gray vest that matched his slacks. "But where did you come from?"

"I was attacked," Russia said matter-of-factly as he buttoned up shirt and vest. "I survived. I wondered what to do next, and then I realized - I no longer have to run. My immediate threat is dead."

"I was told YOU were dead," England said faintly.

"No. Ukraine killed my sacrifice." Russia pulled a long scarf from a hanger and wrapped it a few times around his neck. "She died as a result. Though, I suppose we should not say 'died.' She's still there, just...less vocal, yes? Anyway." He moved to a desk and started searching through the drawers. "When I realized I did not have to run, I went home. Back to Moscow. I gave my boss a debriefing, and she agreed to allow me to pick you up once I let her know I was safe for now."

"But how did you find me?" England's emotions began to boil, his shock wearing off.

"Easy." He pulled a packet from the desk. "A South American country with a coast, Spanish as its main language, in the middle of winter. That narrowed the search. All we had to do then was make a call to any local coastal municipality for any reports of strange persons who spoke English." Russia grinned and tossed the package at England. "Lucky us that you were arrested. Crazy English speakers with no papers stumbling around a beach? You came up fairly quickly."

England tilted his head and stared at Russia. "Are we in Buenos Aires? America said they were going to bundle us up to Buenos Aires because someone big was interested in us."

"Oh, I would not say 'big,'" Russia said bashfully. "They think I am some sort of official, that is all. I came as soon as I could replace your documents. It was a long flight!"

England tore open the package. Inside were two passports, American and British, two debit cards and two phones. His heart sank.

"They got America," he said as he pocketed his information and wrapped up the American passport. "He wouldn't kill his sacrifice, and she got him instead."

"I see." Russia bowed his head. He sat heavily next to England. He sat in silence for a moment. "I am sorry he is gone," he said finally. "But I am glad to know you survive."

"The feeling is mutual. It's nice to know I'm not the only one left. And I'm sorry about your sister." England looked up at Russia. "She always struck me as a force to be reckoned with."

Russia laughed. "You have no idea."

"So, what's the plan?" England eased to his feet and started pacing. "The original force is still out there, and I'm sure someone as crazed as they are is also a completionist. We won't be safe for long."

"True." Russia stood and took England's shoulders. "But we are safe for now. And my friend, we have an income, we are in a beautiful city, and we have survived." He gave England a wide grin. "Let us celebrate, if only for a day or two, yes?"

* * *

It was actually three days - three days of heavy drinking, dancing, flirting with the locals, the best restaurants, big cars. It took some time for Russia to coax England into letting loose, but in the end they celebrated and mourned in a drunken haze. At the end of their run of Buenos Aires, they closed out a bar, two holdouts with a bottle, laughing over their liquor as the staff cleaned around them.

"D'you remember, d'you remember," England gasped, choking back giggles, "the portly official in charge of the lumber deals back in, oh, it must have been the thirteen hundreds -"

"Had to be," Russia pondered a moment. "After the golden horde. Was this your official or mine?"

"Mine, of course," England slurred. "He was a stuffy little thing in blue velvet. Smelled like cloves 'cause he thought it kept people from smelling his stink."

Russia brightened. "THAT guy! Oh, yes! My guy HATED that guy. Called us dirty. Hah! Just because my guy ate garlic and bathed once a week." Russia laughed. "Your officials and ambassadors all had that problem, though. All the Western Europeans did, really. They would prance around as if they were speaking to children, then do the most disgusting things - and they were all rank."

"Oy, you can't blanket us like that," England admonished, wagging a finger as he poured two more drinks. "'Sides, your people fell in love with France, remember? Some of that poncing about must have worked."

"Do not remind me!" Russia took a big swallow. "The nobles speaking French, the French waltzes, the French architecture, the French clean shave. Pyotr would have had his way with France if he could have gotten France into his bedroom for an hour."

"What, he didn't?" England perked up. "Too bad. France probably would have been game." He laughed. "Still, it makes sense that France thought he could bring you into his fold, then."

"Eh, Napoleon was a petty dictator." Russia waved his hand. "All the dictators think they can have me. But they never can keep me for long." He gave England a wolfish grin. "Not even if they're my people. The Soviets were in and out in just a lifetime."

"Oooh, the cold war, now that was a laugh, wasn't it?" England knocked the table with his fist. "All that back and forth, trading bits of information, upping weapons, staring at each other across a pretend curtain? Everything was just so very important and critical to them, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Russia took on a dreamy expression. "But it is hard to tell a boss that what is so very important to them is barely a concern to me. Shaking a fist at America and keeping up appearances of great wealth and cohesion was exhausting. And of course," he smiled a wicked smile, "everyone was so sure everyone else was going to cause a nuclear holocaust."

England snorted. "As if any of us would have allowed that to happen. Even YOU - well, you weren't top notch then, I'll say it, bit barmy still - even YOU would have pulled the plug before it happened, right?"

"I did!" Russia giggled and leaned over the table, whispering. "See, one of our machines malfunctioned. It screamed that America had launched their weapons against us! That did not seem right, not at all, so I did a quick check with America. Of course America was in shock, said no, said do something before the Russians bomb ME! I hurry home and convince a technician to keep the others from starting the launch codes until the malfunction was identified." He leaned back with a satisfied look on his face. "No bombs launched, no retaliation, no nuclear war."

"Well good show!" England raised the bottle. "That deserves a drink!"

The laughed, and drank, and a small, content silence fell between them. England yawned.

"I think it may be time to throw in the towel," he muttered.

"Not yet, I hope." China pulled up a chair and sat with them, throwing a satchel over the back of the chair. Russia and England stared at him through hazy drunken eyes. "I hear you two have been having fun."

"You are alive!" Russia slapped China on the shoulder and poured him a drink. "That makes three of us! Ha! Three is better than none!"

"Agreed," England said faintly. "And how did YOU find us? Really, am I so very out of the loop when it comes to search and find?"

"Perhaps." China took a sip of his drink and grimaced. "I located you both a couple days ago. I've been busy since then. I apologize for not letting you know sooner. And as for how I found you," China shrugged. "Let's say magic." He set down his drink. "Listen, both of you. I know where the circle is, and I know who we're fighting against. She is likely to strike again soon. My question to you is: do you wish to strike her first, or would you prefer to continue your reveling?"

Russia and England exchanged a glance.

"China, I am more than happy to help bring down the creature who attacked us," England said firmly, holding out his hand. China gripped it and smiled.

"Do you even need to ask?" Russia nodded and shook China's hand vigorously. "Let us find this attacker and give her what's coming to her."

"Wonderful." China reached into his satchel and pulled out two tickets, handing them to Russia and England. "A car is waiting for us outside. We leave tonight."


	16. Chapter 16

Lady Tara awoke in her garden, her limbs stiff and sore from napping in an awkward position under the great oak tree she kept as a centerpiece. She yawned and stretched, then looked up at the sun.

"It's been almost a week since Mei left me," she murmured. "Either she's completed her task or she hasn't. Ah, well. At least two survive. Time to prepare."

She lifted up her thin, ropy arms and closed her eyes. The ground began to shake violently. She did not move as the great monastery she built years ago and was quite proud of - she had based it on a great cathedral she saw once in Cologne - crumbled, bricks tumbling over one another. There was a snap of power, and a great wave of heat rolled over the garden. Immediately, the greenery withered and died, crumpling up into brown lumps. The warehouse where she had stored fifteen years worth of goods for one hundred and ninety children, and where she had sent all but seven of those children to their deaths, collapsed in on itself. As the ground shook, sand sifted up through the debris, burying it. Soon there was nothing left but sand. Dunes stretched out as far as the horizon in every direction. Lady Tara stood at the center of a great, glowing circle. Another, smaller circle - the circle in which she cast her nation-ending spell - put off a lesser light within the great circle. She lowered her arms. The circles ceased to glow, and there was no sign of their presence in the waves of sand. She opened her eyes and walked into the sand.

* * *

Russia and England stared wide-eyed and mouthed at China across the table in the small Cairo cafe.

"I'm sorry, have you gone in_sane_?" England said coolly, setting down his coffee with a clink. "You are actually telling us that Mother Earth herself has decided to wipe the nations out? What are we, part of some fairy story?"

"A fairy story like one involving sentient nations?" Russia replied with a smile.

"That's different! We are obviously real." England crossed his arms. "I have never seen any evidence that the earth has any sentient person walking around."

"Perhaps that's because you haven't been around long enough." China pointed to the papers he had spread in front of England and Russia. "Earth has been personified for thousands of years. She has been both goddess and simple idea. Even today people personify her, as you just did England. Mother Earth. Mother Nature. In a world where nations can walk and talk, is it any wonder that she may have a body and a mind as well?"

"I do not dismiss that Earth can walk around in a human form," Russia said, holding up a hand. "But what makes you think she was the one behind the attacks?"

"Because of the power." China leaned back in his chair. "I have never known any, even the oldest nation, to have enough power to run a spell like the wipe-out spell multiple times without killing themselves in the process. Three times is unprecedented! But to a planet who has already lived a few billion years, what's a few high-powered spells in the scheme of things?" He picked up his coffee and took a sip. "And then there's the heat. We nearly died of the heat when I visited her circle and she dragged me toward the center. Think about it - Earth may be filled with life on her surface, but beneath that skin is a molten core. We accessed her very inner self when we accessed that circle." China paused for a moment. "Then there was the voice. I cannot explain it, but the voice sounded familiar. Naggingly so. As if I met her before."

"Have you met her before? Earth, I mean?" England said sarcastically.

China's face took on a brooding look. "I don't know. If I have, I don't remember. It may be back at the beginning of my life, and much of that is a haze to me, now."

"Oh, this is so utterly unbelievable," England muttered.

"I do not care if it is believable." Russia quietly stirred his tea. "I do not care if this woman is Earth or a Yeti or a space alien or simply a disgruntled old whore. I want to kill her as quickly as possible and reverse the spell. You say we can do both of these things, and that you know where she is."

"I didn't say we can kill her, but we can basically do as she did to our colleagues." China pulled Adelina's dagger from his satchel and placed it on the table. "If this goes in her heart, then her sentience will be gone. The trick is, since the dagger is actually linked to the circle to be meant for one of us (in this case Italy), outside of the main circle it won't work. We will have to somehow get her within the circle that she cast the original spell, so that the dagger's spell becomes more general."

"That doesn't at all sound impossible," England said, disgruntled. "And where is this all-powerful circle?"

"The Sahara, somewhere here in Egypt." China pulled a satellite image from his satchel and placed it on the table. "Here exactly, actually." He pointed at a building in the middle of the sand. "This building was noted by my satellites fifteen years ago. It seemed to pop up overnight. My people looked into it, but upon closer examination it seemed to be a bit of architecture of no consequence." China smiled slightly. "It appears we were wrong."

Russia stared at the picture. "You want us to march into the desert to attack her directly."

"Of course not. I want us to _fly_ into the desert." China crossed his arms. "I already chartered the plane. The only catch is one of us has to fly it. Not many pilots wish to fly out into the middle of nowhere for some reason."

Russia shrugged. "I cannot fly. Not of my own knowing, anyway. I never learned."

"I am the same," China said, nodding.

England threw up his hands. "Of course! I would be the one who has to lead us into this suicide mission. Damn," he grumbled. "I only learned because the RAF uniforms were particularly dashing. Seemed a waste to not know what I was doing."

"China, is this a suicide mission?" Russia said quietly. "Are we going into the den of the beast?"

"It very well may be," China said gravely. "But it is either this, or we wait for her to come to us. Eventually this battle will occur." He picked up the dagger. "And I know for a fact that if we can get her in the circle and put this in her heart, we will be done with her. I know of no other way for us to end her."

"Okay." Russia nodded. "Then we must try. I do not wish to wait. I would rather fall while fighting."

"Yes, well. I agree." England examined his nails. "It's the principle of the thing now. Even if it's hopeless, I'd rather try and fail than have her attack in my sleep."

"Good." China stood. "Then let's go. I am loathe to wait longer than we must to finish this, one way or another."


	17. Chapter 17

The sand whipped against Lady Tara's body. She smiled and held out her hands to the abrasive sensation. "Ah, my pretty," she crooned. "I can feel the mountain you once were."

A patter of sound came from above. She looked up, and watched a small passenger plane cross the white-blue sky and fade in the distance.

"How irritating," she grumped. "I walked all this way for nothing."

She turned back the way she came and lifted her arms. A great wave of sand lifted her up. She threw her arms forward, and the sand rolled over the dunes, she its passenger.

* * *

China checked the GPS on his phone, then looked out the window.

"It should be directly below," he said over the noise of the propellers. "I don't see the buildings, though!"

"Let us land and see what we can find!"

"Ah, yes!" England stared at the steering wheel. "Landing."

"You do know how to land a plane, of course," China said, poking England's shoulder.

"Well, it was never my strongest suit," England replied hastily. "And it has been over a hundred years since I've flown."

"China, you said this spell we are under only hides our nationhood, yes?" Russia glanced at the nation. "So we cannot die?"

"No, we can't die," China said slowly. "But we can be horribly mangled and forced to crawl slowly to civilization in the hot desert sun."

"Ah." There was a pause. "England, do not crash the plane."

"Yes! Thank you, Russia!" England clenched his teeth. "Well, all I can do is try! Hold on!"

He swung the plane around and dipped down for landing. The nations did not speak as the plane rattled against the wind resistance. Sand began to pelt the windows. The plane hit a dune, bounced, then hit the ground with a thump that made the nations fly up in their seats. The plane rolled to a stop. England cut the engine.

"Not a bad landing," he said cheerfully, opening the door and hopping out. China and Russia glanced at each other, then followed.

Heat and sand hit them as they exited the plane. The vast, orange ocean of sand seemed endless and all encompassing. "The structure was there." China looked at his phone and pointed off to the horizon. "The satellite images I gathered a few days ago had it at this location! How odd."

"If there was a building here, it's gone now." England dug a foot into the sand. "Whoever built it got rid of it in a hurry."'

"Yes, but can you feel the power?" Russia held out a hand and stepped a few feet forward. "It is like a wall of energy."

"It's more power than I expected, actually," China said, troubled. He pocketed his phone, held out his arms and walked forward. "The circle we visited mentally was powerful, but this is on a level above anything I've ever experienced before."

They walked north for a few meters, all carefully feeling in front of them, expecting a barrier or a sign of the origin of the power. A few steps more, and suddenly the heat dissipated, though the sand and wind still buffeted them. The power was all around them, as if rising from the ground. They shared a look.

"We have crossed into a circle," Russia said, taking a few steps back. He stopped, running into a wall of power that blocked his way. He turned and knocked the air, his fist running into a solid barrier.

"Bollocks," England muttered. "We're trapped."

"It does not matter." China moved forward, still holding out his arms. "I feel the presence of another circle. This one is more familiar. I believe it's the origin of the spell. Help me locate -"

"China, I think that is for us." Russia pointed at a wave of sand that was slowly growing bigger in the distance at it approached. A roar boomed across the desert, faint at first, but soon deafening. England and Russia watched the sand, noting a small figure that stood atop the wave. China ignored the sand wave, seeking the spell circle as quickly as he could. He ran up to its perimeter, careful this time not to cross it, and made a mental note of its location and how it felt. Then he ran back to the other two nations and waited with them.

The sand wave sank into the ground as it reached the edge of the circle, lowering its passenger until she was level with the nations. She stood on the other side of the barrier, a wizened old woman in a simple cotton dress, her gray hair piled in braids atop her head. They stared at each other, nations and woman, sizing each other up.

"Thank you for going to the trouble to come to me," Lady Tara said finally, pacing in front of the barrier. "You saved me a trip."

"You think she's Earth?" England waved a dismissive hand at Lady Tara. "Really? This old hag?"

Lady Tara broke into a wide, gap-toothed smile. "Now who guessed?" She wagged a finger. "Was it you, China? You were so rude as to intrude in my private spaces a little while ago."

"I was right, then. You are Earth." China bowed deeply. "It is an honor to meet you."

"None of that, young man. We've met before." She patted her braids, tucking in a few loose strands. "And I am not a fan of the name 'Earth.' English is such a blunt, ugly language. Unfortunate that it has become the international norm. Mir is a little prettier, or Dìqiú, or Erde, or Gi, or Prthvi, or Terre. Until recently, my acolytes called me Lady Tara. You may call me that."

"And why should we believe you," England scoffed. "What, just because you came to us on a wave of sand?"

"England, there is a saying about crossing lines," Russia murmured. "I do not remember it, but it is there."

"Well, I don't feel the need to prove myself to you children," Lady Tara snapped. "But I rarely get to put on a show. So!"

She spread her arms wide. Instantly, the sand rose up around the large circle's barrier, rumbling further and further into the air, fusing together into rocky crags that blocked the sun. Greenery flew down the edges of the stone, growing fast and furiously and shooting into the circle. Grass grew beneath the nations' feet, a large stream seeped up from the ground and cut the circle in half, burbling as a forest shot up, growing from tiny shoots of saplings to towering trees within seconds. She lowered her arms and examined her handiwork, pleased. England and Russia gaped at the change in scenery - what was once a desert was now a lush and fertile valley.

"I suddenly feel as if I am underwater," Russia whispered.

"I, too, feel out of my league," England muttered. "I think we may be in trouble."

China did not look at this display of power in awe. He stared at Lady Tara, eyes narrowed and lips thin. "Keep her occupied," he murmured to the others, stepping away from them and into the trees. "I need time to prepare the circle - to flip it to our needs."

"Now, enough games." Lady Tara flipped a hand. A couple of saplings grew beneath her, twisting together into a chair. She settled into it. "You three have thrown a wrench into my plan, and I must fix it."

England and Russia exchanged a glance. England gave Russia a small nod.

"Your plan." Russia reached out and touched the flakey bark of a newly grown birch tree. "The one in which you waste the lives of two hundred innocents? After such evidence of your power, I wonder why you used those poor children for your game."

"Their lives were far from wasted," Lady Tara snapped. "Though I can manipulate the earth and the weather and the growing things to my pleasure, you nations are a thing of humanity. I had to play by their rules, and the rules of the magic that you creatures play with."

"Well, now you have my attention, that's for certain." England sat and settled into the grass. "I'm intrigued. How on earth, pardon your ladyship, did you come up with a spell that wiped out the sentience of the nations? It must have been quite a challenge."

"It was." Lady Tara stared hard at each of them. She relaxed. "Very well, if you wish to know, I have time to explain. We have all the time in the world, now. To take away a nation's sentience, I had to rid them of their humanity so that they became merely ideas. To do that, I needed a citizen from each nation. A person is both human and a nationality. With the spell, I linked the citizen's humanity to that of their nation. Kill the person, kill the nation's humanity. The difficult part -" Lady Tara paused, and a pained expression crumpled her face, "-was that the sacrifice had to be willing. And they had to be a full citizen - that is, an adult. Oh, I could surely find such an acolyte in each country to follow me. But that would take time - perhaps decades, or centuries!

I could not wait that long. Russia's hostile takeover and near annihilation of the planet's stability had spurred me into action after eons of watching you nations flounder around with your people. I did not want to risk even a moment of time. And I could not end the nations individually. Someone was bound to catch on and counteract the spell. So." She lifted her hand and waved it at the valley. "I built a home for children, and took one from each nation. I raised them carefully, instilling their cultural values, ensuring that they were citizens both legally and in spirit, while teaching them to hate the sentience of the nations. And when they came of age, they willingly lent themselves to my task. In one swoop, dozens of nations were stripped of their sentience, never to hurt their people again." She leaned forward in her chair. "Fifteen years, and I've almost reached success. You three are my only failures, which I plan on remedying."

"You raised children for slaughter." Russia leaned against his tree and smiled at her, his cheeks tinged red. "This is not the most terrible thing I have seen in my life, lady. But it is still despicable."

"Call it what you will." She rolled her shoulders, her limbs growing stiff in the cool shade of her mountains. "The needs of the many and all that. Because of their sacrifice, the people of the world will be safe from a threat they did not know hovered over them. I consider this a fair trade, and so did they."

"Because you brainwashed them!" England snapped. "You horrid cow, are you really so blind as to not see the evil in your actions?"

"Enough!" Lady Tara's voice boomed, its elderly cragginess gone. Her face was mask-like and ageless. "I will not be spoken to with such insolence by a foolish child. Apologize at once!"

"Absolutely no -" Russia smacked the back of England's head and raised his brows. "I mean, uh. Okay, fine. I'm sorry. My _Lady_."

"That's better." Lady Tara relaxed, and her features were once again that of a crone. "Now, what to do with you three. You've done half the job for me by stumbling into my circle. I could simply keep you here, seek out three new acolytes and be done with it." She mulled it over. "But that will take time and effort, and your resourcefulness has proven a hinderance. You may somehow get your people involved while I'm searching, and I don't want to have to kill more than is necessary to finish the job."

Russia shrugged. "You could simply kill _us_."

"Russia!" England snapped.

"Well, she could. Just convince the English and the Russians and the Chinese that they aren't who they are, and we are gone."

"That will also take time. Possibly even more time," Lady Tara muttered, giving the idea some consideration. "And it won't solve my ultimate problem. More nations will manifest under new names, and then it will be back to the drawing board. No, to finish the spell the three of you must be stripped of your sentience." She brightened. "Or, your sentience must be stripped of your nationhood! Hah! Perfect."

She stood, holding on to her back, and waved a hand at the ground. The ground shook a little, and suddenly a tiny geyser of lava spewed up from the earth. As the molten metal hit the grass, it cooled rapidly into hunks of iron. Lady Tara flicked off the geyser with her fingers, then twisted her hands together. The iron twisted and took the shape of three daggers.

"Well, now I know why they were so brittle," Russia said, shaking his head. "Not a proper smithing technique."

"They will do what they are made for." Lady Tara picked up each dagger. "I will offer you a deal. Instead of banishing you to the thoughts of your people, what if I take away your nationhood altogether? The idea that is 'nation' will leave you, become mere ideas, and you will become human."

There was a moment of silence as England and Russia processed this. England rose to his feet, fuming. "You mean, this spell was a possibility all along," he sputtered. "You wiped almost two hundred people from existence, and killed two hundred more, when all you had to do was knock our nationhood from our humanity in the first place? You - I -" He charged the barrier and slammed his fists against the solid air. "You mad, disgusting -"

"Easy!" Russia pulled a kicking and punching England away from the barrier. "Even I can recognize a pattern in these spells. Something so powerful, it is about a choice. It is always about a choice." He stared down Lady Tara with his hard, blue eyes. "You did not do this spell because the nations must willingly forfeit their nationhood, yes?"

"Yes, of course." She smiled. "The sacrifices were much easier than convincing so many nations that being nations was against their best interest. Now, come up to the barrier and let me finish this. A quick stab in the heart and the dagger will disappear, taking your nationhood with it. You'll be human, and you can get on with your much shorter, much less eventful lives. Simple."

England knocked Russia's hand away, straightened his spine and fixed his shirt. "Absolutely not. I'll not accept your little 'deal', after you tossed my colleagues and siblings into the void. You'll have to kill me, it seems."

"I agree." Russia shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I refuse to throw away who I am so easily. It dishonors the memory of those you have destroyed."

Lady Tara laughed heartily. "You must have forgotten what exactly being 'who you are' entails, boys." She stabbed the daggers into the ground. "Don't worry. I have a long memory. I can help you remember." Her eyes glowed bright blue. The enormous circle lit up, throwing a great beam of light into the sky. Russia and England backed away from the edge of the circle, stumbling into the trees as a wave of power rolled over them.


	18. Chapter 18

A sharp slap knocked him into a rack filled with weaponry. Pikes and swords fell around him. He was disoriented for a moment, unsure of where he was and why. Then he remembered - he was sent to fetch Mongolia's helmet, but could not find it in the armory. He was desperately searching for it when Mongolia, losing his patience, came after him.

"Maybe this will teach you a lesson in punctuality!" Mongolia took him by the neck and shook him hard, punching him in the gut. Russia gasped and doubled over. "Stop that! Stand up!" He straightened shakily, trying to steady his breathing. He kept his eyes low and his face calm, though anger licked every nerve in his body. "Where is my helmet."

"Not here," Russia muttered.

Mongolia leaned in close enough that Russia could feel his hot breath against his smarting cheek. "Say that again?"

Russia smiled slightly, clenching his teeth. "Not here, _sir_."

"That's better." Mongolia settled in front of him, sneering down at him. "Boy, have you considered that it may be with the smithy? That it may be with the polisher? That it may have been in my tent? Or were you going to wait in here, hoping that it would appear before your eyes? Are you so stupid as that? Hm? Answer me, boy. Are you too _stupid _to fetch a helmet?"

Russia looked up at Mongolia with his cold, hard eyes and grinned. "Yes, _sir_."

Mongolia's frown deepened. He sent Russia reeling with another hard slap then grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "If I see your face again before you find that helmet, I will cut your nose off. Is that clear?"

"Yes, _sir_."

"Good." Mongolia flung him on the ground and marched off. Russia shook as he stood and straightened his tunic, rage shortening his breath. He wanted to lash out, to burn the camp to the ground and watch the Horde run screaming and smoking into the night - but the retaliation would be too much. They would swallow his people whole, this Horde, killing he and his sister in the process. He took a pike from the floor and smashed it into splinters, allowing that to satisfy his urge. As the pike reduced in size, he watched his actions as if he was not the one doing them.

"This has happened before," he muttered, shaking his head and throwing what was left of the pike away. He covered his eyes and stumbled from the tent. "This isn't right..."

* * *

Rome prodded him with a short sword and frowned. "Such a dinky little nation. Is there any honor in capturing you?"

England stood at his full height, putting on a brave face as he saw his older brothers do. "I am _not _dinky, I am really grown up!"

"Is that so?" Rome crouched down to his level and smiled. "You look no older than my grandsons. I think you would like them. Would you like to come home with me and meet them?"

The prospect of new friends intrigued England. For a moment, he wondered what it would be like to go away with Rome, away from his wild, green home. But he knew his brothers would hate him for it. He held up his chin and kept stiff.

"I will never, never, never go with you, Rome!" he said loudly in his child's voice. "You're a bad guy, and my bosses don't like you!"

Rome shook his head and scrabbled England's hair. "I wish just once someone would say yes. Then I wouldn't have to do this." He stabbed England in the shoulder with his sword. England cried out in shock and pain. Rome pulled his sword free. "You have to learn young, little nation. Standing up to the big guys has its consequences. Just let me know if you want me to stop." He stabbed England in the other shoulder.

"No, please!" England gasped, tears coming down his cheeks as he held the remains of his cloak against his bleeding wounds. "Please stop! Please stop! Please..."

* * *

Russia's eyelids opened slowly, the effort exhausting him. He lay in the snow where he landed when he fell from his horse, watching the large flakes of snow drift down from a cold, gray sky.

"Russia? Russia, get up!" Ukraine appeared above him, feeling his head and cheeks. "My God, you are a furnace!"

"Ukraine." Russia blinked slowly. "I thought you were with Lithuania..."

"I am," she snapped. "But you think I cannot tell when my little brother is in danger?" She rolled up one of his sleeves. "You are nothing but bone! This oprichnina is your ruin, Russia!"

"The oprichnina." Russia attempted to rise, but the effort was too much for him. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I was supposed to watch over the next attack. To make sure...the right people..." tears leaked out from beneath his lids. "He is killing so many."

"Wait here," Ukraine said firmly. She disappeared, then reappeared in a whirl of snow, Belarus beside her. Belarus, only a small girl, cried out and fell on Russia's chest.

"What is wrong with big brother?" She sobbed.

"Stop that," Ukraine snapped. "I can hide your disappearance from Lithuania for only so long. Help me!" Together the sisters lifted Russia to his feet. He leaned heavily on their shoulders, his limbs like a rag doll's. "Now walk, Russia," Ukraine demanded. "Walk to your boss!"

Russia shuffled a foot forward, and the three nations were in the throne room of Ivan IV, snow melting from their heavy fur cloaks. Ivan looked up from his documents in surprise. His advisors had not noticed the nations' appearance, and continued rambling about the success of his purges.

"I have a complaint for you," Ukraine said, her voice low and menecing. "You are killing my brother. This is unacceptable."

Ivan held up a hand, ceasing the patter of his advisors. "Woman, I do not know you and I have no interest in hearing you. Leave my presence."

"Your nation, sir!" Ukraine cried.

"He is an insidious weakling," Ivan snapped. "If he will not watch my dogs at work, he is no use to me. Take him from my sight."

"Look at him," Ukraine whispered in Russia's ear. "Look at his pride, his girth as he starves your people, slaughters them because of his crazed paranoia. He is a petty tyrant who does not love you as he once did. He will kill himself, and bring you with him, brother."

A flame was lit deep inside Russia. It flared brightly, giving him strength. He took a step forward, then another, first requiring the support of his sisters but slowly able to carry his own weight. Ivan watched his approach in disgust, but as Russia turned his shining, violet eyes tinged with the madness of near death upon him, his disgust gave way to fear. His advisors backed away as Russia climbed the dias and hovered unsteadily over the cringing Tsar.

"I have watched you slaughter my people for eight years," he said, brushing his hot hand over Ivan's cheek. "Look at me. Death waits for me if you continue."

"What is your death to me?" Ivan spat, even as he trembled. "What have you ever done for me? Did you keep my enemies from me? You even consort with my enemies, if this woman is the vassal to Lithuania and Poland that I think she is, this whore!"

Russia snatched Ivan's throat with his hands and squeezed, shaking the Tsar. The advisors tried to drag him off the ruler, but he was solid as stone. The Tsar scraped at his arms. He watched the Tsar go blue, and grew confused.

"A nation cannot do this," he muttered, snatching his hands away and staring at them. "I did this. But to fight against the boss is suicide. I -" he wavered on his feet as Ivan regained his breath.

"I will stop the oprichnina," Ivan screamed with a horse voice. "I will stop! Just go! Leave me! Leave me!"

Russia's eyes rolled back in his head, and he could hear his sisters' cries as he fell to the floor.

* * *

"An abomination!" Cromwell pushed England away in horror. "How could you create such a scene in my mind? You are of the devil, sir!"

"I am not, you prudish idiot," England snapped. He wiped sweat from his fevered brow. He glanced around Cromwell's empty office, hoping that no one overheard the general's cries."You have successfully usurped the king, sir. I must report to you as my employer!"

"The nation as a person? God would not allow such unnaturalness to exist!" Cromwell hissed, pulling his dagger and shoving it into England's stomach.

England gasped in pain and stumbled away. "Do you know how long it's been since someone reacted so famously to meeting me?" he said through clenched teeth. He tensed and pulled the dagger from his gut, then threw it on the ground.

Cromwell watched in terror and disgust. He sat on his desk, shaking his head in dismay. "Away from me." He pointed a shaking hand at the door. "Away from me!"

"Gladly," England said coolly, checking his wound to make sure it was healing. "But you had best tidy things up! There's not much more of this foolish war I can take!"

He straightened his bloodied jerkin and left, slamming the door behind him. Once in the hallway he leaned his back against the cool stone and shuddered. His pale hands shook.

"Careful now old boy," he muttered, threading his fingers through his hair. "You got through the war of the roses, you can get through this. Don't lose yourself. Only the big empires go mad, isn't that what we always say?" He giggled a frightful, uncontrollable giggle and covered his mouth, killing the laughter with a cough. "Damn fools and their civil wars!"

* * *

The people were driven from their homes, printing presses burned in front of their eyes. Russia watched the crowd of people as the military drove them back, beating down those who would stand against them.

"Lithuanian scum," a soldier near him said, spitting on the cobblestones. "Why can't they be happy with Russian? How are we to be under one emperor if they will not submit?"

"You are right, of course." Russia pulled his coat close around him and stared at the flames. "It is for the empire."

* * *

"For the empire." England watched the army pushed back the Indian rebels, rising up against the company that had made his people wealthy. He tightened his grip on his rifle. "Always for the empire."

* * *

He tightened the grip on his rifle, aimed at a group of protesters at the gate of the Winter Palace. A clear thought came through his clouded mind.

"Not this memory," he murmured. His finger hesitated on the trigger. "Please, not this memory." His hands shook. He fired. A man in the group went down. There were screams. He wiped his eyes. "Oh, I hate you." He fired again and another man went down. "I despise you." He smiled a huge, crazed, twisted smile and fired again. "I loathe you!" He threw his rifle down and stumbled away from the window, slamming his back against his bed post.

The impact jarred him, and suddenly his back was against a large pine in Lady Tara's forest. He slid down the trunk to the forest floor and rested his arms on his legs. His clothes were torn, and small cuts covered his body.

"You look bloody awful."

Russia swiveled his head over to see England leaning against a tree a few meters away. His clothes were also tattered, and his nose dripped blood.

"Look in a mirror, my friend."

England chuckled and rubbed his arms. "Did you think that was a convincing argument?"

"Of course!" Russia gave England a wolfish grin. "I am convinced that Mother Nature is a bitch."

Power crackled around them. England grimaced. "She's not done with us yet!" He cried as another wave of power engulfed them in old memories.

* * *

China worked furiously on the circle. Memories nagged him - childhood horrors, many wars, death and pain and sadness. He ignored them, fighting through them to focus on turning the circle to his benefit.

"Just a little longer," he muttered as he built a spell in his mind. "Distract her just a little longer."


	19. Chapter 19

England was splayed on his back on a grassy knoll that hung above the cheerful brook that halved Lady Tara's forest. He stared up at the pieces of blue sky that peeked through the canopy. He was unsure of what time it was, or how long he had been laying there by the brook. He was hungry, and thirsty, and every bit of his body ached, though he could not tell if it was phantom pain from the memories or actual pain from his stumbling around the forest.

He was unsure where Russia or China were, as the intervals between the memory bombardments had been too short to do more than catch a breath. This current reprieve had been the longest since Lady Tara's first attack - it had felt like at least an hour since he was last thrown into his past, though he was unsure of the reliability of his perception of time. England dug his fingers into the soil, as if pinning himself to the earth would keep him from sinking into his worst moments.

"Well of course it won't," he said sourly. "She's the one behind the assault."

He could no longer ignore his thirst. He rolled onto his stomach, and drank from the brook with cupped hands until his parched throat was soothed. He splashed his face and sat up on the bank of the brook, shaking the water from his hair. Across the swift-running water, Elizabeth sat with her legs crossed beneath her. She wore a light, flowing gown and her curling red hair tumbled in waves around her. She smiled at him, and her pale skin seemed luminescent. He cried out in surprise a her sudden appearance.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" She stretched out her legs and dabbled her feet in the brook.

England recovered from his shock and crossed his arms in irritation. "Come now. I know that you are _not_ Elizabeth. For one thing, her hair hasn't been that long since the Renaissance."

"Of course I am not the real Elizabeth you silly boy." She disappeared and reappeared by his side. He jumped in surprise. "I am the Elizabeth you have at the forefront of your mind. I am who you see when you meet with her, and speak to her, and dream of her."

"So you're mining my thoughts for new weaponry?" England stood and brushed himself off. "Can we go back to the memories? They are less of an infringement on my person." He turned away from her, but she was there, blocking his path.

"Tell me, England, how much time have you spent longing for me?" He flinched as she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "What would you do to have me?"

"Are you trying to say that you'll give me Elizabeth if give in to your demand?" He knocked her hand away in disgust. "I'm not about to accept that proposition. I'm sure you know from my memories that she is most certainly not in love with me. I'd hate to think what you'll do to her to, ugh, 'make her mine'."

"But darling, there is nothing that has to be done." She threw her arms over his shoulders. "I said I could not love a country, but I never said I could not love you, my sweet."

England scoffed. "Don't be preposterous. She has often - well of course there was - by which she meant, I'm...I'm sure..." He stuttered to a halt, thinking of every time he felt the sting of her rejection, never recalling a rejection of him so much as a rejection of who he was. His face blanched. "Well, that's neither here nor there." He pushed her away. "My people come before some girl, lovely as she is. I will not run off and become human for something so base!"

"Oh, England, you aren't thinking." The faux Elizabeth walked her fingers across his shoulder. He shuddered, irritated at how pleasing the sensation was. "Your people will be fine. The Nation of England will continue on without you for a very long time. You will live, you will grow old, and you will die, all within a human lifespan. Which as I recall is all I ever wanted from you as a beau." She leaned in close to his ear. "And all I ever wanted for myself. My life is linked to yours, remember? I cannot age like a human because you do not age like a human. But here now is such a simple fix!"

England's breath was shallow as his mind crackled at this realization. "My god, you're right. She'll be truly human again. She'll age with me - die with me!"

"Die by your side, my love." She held one hand against his chest, and with the other worked her fingers through his hair. "The obstacle of your nationhood will be gone. I'll never have to push you away again."

"But she _doesn't_ love me." His voice faltered as she kissed his shoulder. He stiffened. "She's never come to me when I've been in...in trouble..."

"Not when you as a nation were in trouble, no," she sighed, kissing his neck. "But I came to you when your mind was locked behind Canada's spell, did I not? And how did I break the spell, my love?"

England looked down at her and swallowed. "With...with a..."

He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her hungrily, not caring that she was merely a fantasm, allowing himself a moment to believe, desperately, that perhaps her deception could become reality.

* * *

Russia stoked his small fire with a few twigs, then got to work gutting and cleaning the fish he had speared from the small brook. The work wasn't easy or quick, as all he could find to use as a knife was a rock with a sharp edge.

"This truly brings back memories," he called out to the darkening forest. "No need to pick and choose which ones are most onerous. A childhood in the woods eating uncooked fish and stolen bread is enough."

Georgia appeared across the fire, kneeling on the soft grass, her black curls pulled up into a high twist. "You joke, my love, but you cannot deny the horrors you have faced as a nation." She reached a hand out to him. "The horrors you've made me face with you."

"No, she will not work," Russia said pleasantly, not looking up from his task. "She would think me a selfish fool if I became human and left the other nations in the void. Besides, you took her from me. Do you think I can forget that fact when you put her dummy in front of me?"

Georgia disappeared. An arm draped over his shoulder. Lithuania leaned in close to his ear. "I wonder what our lives would have been like had we been human? Would you have beaten me? Would you have torn me apart as you were ordered to do? Think of us together, without the pain you forced upon me."

"He will not work either," Russia said placidly, working on another fish. "He _hates_ me. And you took him away from me too, remember?"

Lithuania disappeared. A head propped against his arm. "Oh, Russia. I wonder what would have happened when we met in the park if you had been just a regular guy." Emma brushed his back with her hand. "Can you imagine? A house, some kids, me teaching, you in the garden with your literature? A lot less exciting than what we got, sure, but a lot more of us together." She hugged him. "And you wouldn't have to wait for me in your dreams."

Russia chuckled merrily. "You think she would have wanted any of that? You really should check those memories again. Now leave me alone, please. I am hungry. Do you want me to pass out before your next attack? I do not think it would be very effective if I do." Emma disappeared. Russia slid his fish back on the spear and held it over the fire. "Thank you."

The sound of the forest amplified as darkness fell. Over the croaking of frogs and sawing of insects, Russia heard a voice muttering in the distance. He frowned, stuck his spear in the ground so that the fish hovered over the flames, and followed the voice. It lead him down the brook a ways to a small clearing. England stood completely still next to the banks of the brook, staring off with wild eyes.

Russia took England's arm, swung him around and gave him a sharp slap on the cheek.

England reeled back, holding his face. "You wanker," he spat, shaking his head. He glanced quickly around. "Where is she?"

Russia shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned. "Who?"

England opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. "Never mind," he said grumpily. "I've had a close call, that's all."

Russia nodded and walked off back toward his camp. "I have food, if you are hungry."

"Food?" England hurried after him. "Where did you find food?"

Russia waved a hand toward the brook. "She has populated the forest. I do not know why. Perhaps she cannot help herself."

They reached Russia's fire, which by now was crackling merrily and keeping the darkness at bay. The fish were blackened. Russia tsked and grabbed up the spear.

"More well done than I wanted," he said, sitting and gingerly removing one of the smoking fish. He tossed it at England, who caught it and juggled it back and forth in his hands before sitting and letting it rest against his pants. Carefully he pulled the meat off the bone, blew on it, and chewed.

"This is really rather good," he said, pleased.

"Hunger is the best spice, yes?" Russia pulled apart his own fish and began to eat.

England finished his meal, throwing his leftovers into the woods, and fell back in the grass. "How long has it been since we came here?"

"I do not know." Russia wiped his fingers on his pants. "Long enough to be very thirsty. When I knew I would have time, I almost fell into the water, I drank it so fast. And our clothes are ruined. We arrived some time in the early afternoon, but early afternoon today was too short a time ago for these things. More than a day, perhaps?"

"Good god, that was a _full day_?" England covered his eyes. "It felt much longer. Or shorter. Everything was so twisted. So many awful things at once." He lifted his hand and looked at Russia. "Why d'you think she stopped?"

"So that we would not pass out from fatigue." He threw the bones of his fish into the brook. "She wishes to break our minds, not our bodies. Not an uncommon technique." He lay on his side, propping his head up with his hand. "She will attack again. We are trapped, we have food and water. She has plenty of time to break us down."

"Yes." England looked troubled. "And even if we hold out for some time, it will still take less time than it would to seek out new sacrifices." He frowned, chewing on his thumb. "I cannot imagine what our people are going through right now. We may be cut off from our nationhood, but that means they're cut off from it as well. It has already been a couple of weeks. Do this too long, and there'll be chaos. It may be better to accept humanity, for their sake."

"And now you have given me a reason to take Mother Nature's offer." Russia yawned and closed his eyes. "So that Russia will still be Russia, and will not become many tiny warring factions. That is a greater fear than any memory she may throw at me."

"D'you think it will come to that?" England asked in a hushed tone.

"Not if China comes through," Russia said slowly, yawning again. "And this woman does not know how long I can last." He smiled as his thoughts drifted into sleep. "I am Russia. I have already had many bad days. What is a few more?"

Soon, his breathing was slow and regular. England shivered a bit and scooted a little closer to the fire.

"It's just you and me again, darling." The Elizabeth doppelganger cuddled next to him, stroking his chest with her fingers.

England set his chin. "Get off it. You almost got me once. I won't make that mistake again."

"That's what I am? I mistake?" She lifted herself until her face hovered over his, and gently kissed his lips. They trembled as he forced himself not to return the kiss.

He closed his eyes tightly. "I said get off it! Your just something pulled from my mind, nothing more!"

"But love, that is the thing of it," she whispered in his ear. "If I am from your mind, then I am with you always."

His eyes shot open. The fire was low and she was gone. He stared up at the darkness, willing his heart to steady its beat, unable to think of sleep.

* * *

His progress was moving much slower than he had hoped. The memory spell plagued him, breaking his concentration again and again. The circle still burned him, and was unyielding. He feared gaining Lady Tara's attention - if he simply flipped the circle, she would know, and it would be impossible to lure her within. But if he did not gain control of it soon, he knew it was only a matter of time before England or Russia gave up - and if one of them failed, Lady Tara's attention would be more fully on him.

Suddenly the memories pulled away. He was fatigued, but he plunged further into himself, poking and prodding the circle, looking for any weak points. And then he found it - the daggers that had been linked to the circle, and then destroyed. They had left tiny imperfections in the circle. Lady Tara must not have minded much - the original circle had served its purpose at this point. Why keep an eye on little spots and burns that did nothing to ruin either the spell or the circle?

But for someone who wanted to wiggle in, cast their own spell undetected, they were tiny gateways - mouse holes that led to the banquet. China poked through, thought of his spell, and set it on the circle. It seemed intact, but underneath Lady Tara's spell, his waited to be activated. He smiled and opened his eyes as the gray light of dawn outlined the trees. It was his. They could finish this.

A wave of power washed over him, bringing with it the memories.

"Stop!" He cried out. "Stop! I will take humanity! I will take humanity!"


	20. Chapter 20

Russia woke with power crackling around him. He closed his eyes, ready to take on another day of memories, when he heard China's cry in the distance:

"I'll take humanity! I'll take humanity!"

The power receded. Russia sat up straight and tossed a stick at the snoozing England. England snorfled and jerked awake.

"Wha -where?"

"Come on, no time to wake up properly," Russia said, jumping up and hauling England to his feet. "China's plan is moving forward. This way."

He ran off into the woods, pulling the befuddled England behind him. England recovered quickly, and soon they were weaving through the trees in the direction of China's voice. They stopped in a small clearing, where China sat in the grass with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. They approached him slowly, circling him. England gave him a poke in the shoulder, then pulled back his hand.

"He's burning hot," he said, rubbing his fingers. "Not a good sign. Perhaps he actually gave up?"

"I heard your cries, China," Lady Tara. "And I'm waiting for you!"

"He is not coming," Russia called out. "You wore him down far too much for him to travel to the end of the circle. He is not moving."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well, you two young men can bring him to me, then," Lady Tara huffed. "Be quick!"

"Are you joking?" England asked incredulously. "You had us stumbling around in the woods for twenty-four hours, and all I've had to eat since nearly two days ago was a small fish and a few handfuls of water. And you want us to drag a full-grown man through this wretched forest so that you can jab him in the heart? I'd rather not, thanks."

There was another moment of silence.

"Fine," Lady Tara grumped. There was a small whirlwind in the clearing, and she appeared, straightening the cotton dress on her thin, bony shoulders. She held the three daggers in her arms, pressing them flat against her chest. She examined the nations and broke out into a grin. "You boys look a little worse for wear, eh?"

"Thank you for noticing," England said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Russia sighed and look down at his tattered clothes. "I did like these trousers," he said wistfully.

"All right, China." Lady Tara approached the unresponsive nation with a jump in her step. She stopped a few feet from him and frowned. "You're in my old circle," she tsked, wagging a finger. "I doubt that's a coincidence!"

"Are we?" England looked around, surprised, and stepped out to Lady Tara. "I didn't notice. The power of the large circle must be masking that of the smaller circle."

"I did not notice either." Russia smiled and shrugged. "But I do not think China is playing false. See?" He pushed China. The older nation fell over into the grass without any response. Russia stepped out where Lady Tara had indicated the location of the circle's edge.

"Humph." Lady Tara narrowed her eyes at Russia and England. "And made him so unresponsive, hm? You are both far younger than he, and yet he succumbed to the memories first? I fully expected you, Russia, to be the first to falter. You are the youngest, and frankly your history -"

"You have it all backwards," England said, cutting Lady Tara off. "Our youth is an advantage! Think of China, with nearly four millenia of terrible memories to draw from. Even longer, if we count the time before he was really 'China', right? All of the very worst memories hitting him at once - well, it must have been overwhelming." England stared down at his feet mournfully. "Of course he was the first. You know yourself that I was very close yesterday, and I am the next oldest."

Russia's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes, really," England said through his teeth.

Lady Tara nodded thoughtfully. She placed two of the daggers at her feet, then crossed into the circle and kneeled beside China's body. She turned China onto his back and patted his cheek. "I am sorry that I had to put you though all of that pain, little one," she said as she positioned the dagger over China's heart. "But now it's all over. Humanity will be a blessing, trust me."

China's eyes shot open. He pulled Adelina's dagger from his belt, grabbed Lady Tara's arm and stabbed her in the heart. Lady Tara cried out and dropped her dagger, then got to her feet and pulled Adelina's dagger from her chest, tossing it away.

"How dare you," she screamed. Her skin went completely green, and as it did her features became ageless and smooth - her hair tumbled from their braids, flowing out behind her like a snow storm. "_How dare you?"_ She bellowed as she grew from a little under a meter and a half to two and a half meters tall. The cotton dress she wore crinkled and burst into many layers of leaves and vines draping to her feet.

"Ah." China got to his feet and backed away a bit. "Oops."

"_Oops_?" Russia and England cried.

"You insolent child!" Lady Tara's voice echoed through the forest, shaking the trees. "You dare attack me?"

"Okay, the spell didn't work," China said quickly. "Let me think for a moment. Put up a barrier." Lady Tara roared. The vines of her dress lashed out at China. He dodged quickly and started rooting through the grass for Adelina's dagger. "Put up a barrier, damn you!"

Russia jumped into action, finding the circle in his mind and seeing China's handiwork. "He took over the circle," he said, slapping England's back. He dropped to his knees and reached out to the circle, throwing up a barrier. A wave of power from Lady Tara smashed into the barrier. Russia gasped and the barrier flickered. "She is too strong!"

"Of course she bloody is." England dropped next to Russia and joined his power to the circle. The barrier strengthened. "She's bloody Earth, innit?"

Lady Tara hissed and unleashed another wave of power into the barrier, which Russia and England barely held back. "You tiny fools think you can fight me?" Another wave of power crashed into the barrier.

Russia gritted his teeth. His body shook against the pressure of the power.

"Wotcher, Russia, your hair!" England motioned at his temples. "It's going gray!"

Russia looked wildly at England and laughed. "Yours as well, my friend!"

England grabbed at his hair. "Aw, bugger!"

"Ah!" China picked up Adelina's dagger, sticking out behind a bush. He raised it up and waved at Russia and England. "Thank you for the distraction!"

"Distraction?" Lady Tara turned away from the barrier and slapped at China with her vines. China hopped, dodged, rolled and jumped to avoid the vines, coming ever nearer to her. "Stand still and accept your punishment, you foul creature!"

"Absolutely not." China jumped on her as if to tackle her, but she was solid. He found himself clinging to her vines as they grappled with him. She shrieked, slapping at him with her hands. as he held on tightly. "I made a small mistake," he said cheerfully as he steadied his grip on the dagger, ignoring her assault. "Choices and sacrifices, choices and sacrifices. I forgot this particular spell needs a sacrifice. A citizen who willingly gives themselves up to the spell." China dodged another vine and pushed up with the dagger, hitting Lady Tara solidly in the chest. "I am a citizen of Earth, my lady. I'll be the willing sacrifice."

Lady Tara howled, throwing China from her with a wave of power. She pulled the dagger from her chest and howled again. "You cannot!" She screamed. "You cannot!"

But even as she protested, she began to fade - and China with her.

"China you idiot, what have you done?" England called out in dismay.

"Nothing too serious," China said as he went translucent. "I'll just become an idea - not too bad a thing. Please figure out how to reverse the spell. I don't want to float around in limbo too long."

He winked out. Lady Tara let loose one last howl, and she collapsed in on herself, vines consuming her and rolling into a giant mass of greenery. The forest went silent.

And then, the sounds of nature returned. Insects and birds sang, the wind rustled in the trees, in the distance the brook burbled over stones. Russia and England released the barrier spell.

Russia stretched and stood up. "And that is that," he said with satisfaction. "Figuring out how to reverse Lady Tara's spell should be easy after all that." He touched the wisps of gray at his temples.

"I don't want to think how many years were shaved off of our lifespans for a distraction," England fumed as he jumped to his feet. "China could have given us a head's up."

"He was thinking on his feet." Russia picked up the daggers Lady Tara had laid outside the circle and examined them thoughtfully before shoving them in what was left of his belt.

"Yes, well. Still." England walked over to the pile of vines that had once been Lady Tara's skirt and gave them a square kick. A cry issued forth from the vines, surprising him. He stumbled back. "What the bloody hell?"

Russia cocked his head and walked up to the vines. He moved a few aside. Buried within, in a little hollow, lay a small, green infant with a thin patch of white hair. She squalled at the top of her tiny lungs.

Russia stared at the baby for a moment, then looked at England, aghast. "We are not finished, it seems."


	21. Chapter 21

"A baby?" England sputtered. "A _baby_?" He looked down at the infant wiggling in the vines and then back up at Russia. "She gets a dagger in the heart and turns into a baby? Did China's spell go awry again?"

"I do not know." Russia held out a finger to the infant, who grabbed it and began to gum it, calming down.

"I don't understand," England muttered, sitting down and rubbing his fingers through his gray-streaked hair. "China willingly sacrificed himself. Was it because he didn't die? But he can't just _die_, he's a nation. Is it because he's a nation?"

"Up we go." Russia picked up the baby Earth, cradling her in his arms. She waved her little green arms at him, grabbing at his wrinkled and stained collar. Sunlight dappled her face. "She is a much nicer baby than she was an old woman."

"She never was an old woman. That was just a costume for her." England knocked the heel of his hand against his head. "What am I not thinking of? What am I missing? Why is she still personifying? Should she not be merely an idea?"

The sunlight in the clearing grew brighter. Russia looked up at the sky, shading his eyes. "Odd."

There was a flash of blinding light. Everything in the clearing glowed white for a moment before settling back into normal colors. A being floated over the pile of vines, a translucent creature colored a faded orange. It was built like someone who had never seen a human before, but had heard a description and tried to recreate that description out of light. There was flowing hair, but it flowed upward, like flames. It had eyes, but they burned bright blue. It appeared as neither male nor female. Russia and England gaped at the form, Russia instinctively holding the infant closer to his chest.

"Oh, I am so sorry," the form said, with a voice like cracking embers. "I did not expect anyone to be here. I hope I didn't startle you."

"Star -STARTLE us?" England squeaked. "But who the hell are you?!"

"You seem upset," the form said anxiously. "I do so hate making people upset."

"Do not be concerned for him," Russia said, jerking a head toward England. "He has had a long day."

"'A long day.' Oh, I like that expression. 'A long day.' Oh!" The form flew up to Russia and hovered next to him, looking down at the baby. "Oh, is that Earth? Ah, little girl, I did warn you." It tsked and held out its arms. "May I?"

"Forgive me, but I do not give babies to just any unknown ghost-like entities that float around asking for babies," Russia said cheerfully.

"Oh! How rude of me. Was that rude of me?" It looked down at its elongated feet. "Should I not be floating? No, you're not floating." It lowered itself to the ground. Moisture steamed and sizzled beneath its feet. "I am sorry. I cannot fully manifest on Earth without harming her, and it makes me a bit flighty." It bowed. "I am Solntse."

Russia's brows raised. "Solntse? England, this is the Sun!"

"Oh, of course, silly me!" England threw his hands in the air. "Earth, the Sun. Is Jupiter going to come for a visit? Should we wait up for the Milky Way?"

"Oh, I would not expect the Milky Way to visit," Solntse said distantly. "She's so very large she can barely bring herself to a star's level without losing most of her faculties."

"England, stop being annoying." Russia furrowed his brows at England. "This is an important guest."

England opened his mouth to snark, then closed it again and nodded. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Right. Sorry. Pleased to meet you, the Sun. I am a fan of your light, what little of it reaches my shores."

"Are you?" Solntse smiled prettily. "I get such mixed reactions from the tiny ones. I'm glad to know I'm appreciated by some of you." It looked again at the baby. "She can be very ornery. One minute, I'm too close, the other too far. But the always was a tumultuous one - much more so than her siblings. It must be all of this carbon growing all over her. No offense to those present, of course," it said to a nearby tree. It smiled up at Russia. "I hope my daughter was not too much trouble. I knew she was planning something she considered big for the tiny ones."

"Your daughter." Russia smiled and handed Solntse the baby. Solntse took her up and held her close. "Yes, she has been a nuisance lately."

"She banished all of the nations from personification," England said coolly. "Yes, I would say that she's been a 'nuisance'."

"Banished from personification?" Solntse laughed merrily and held the baby above its head. "Is THAT what you were trying to do, my silly girl? Oh, if you had only come to me." It brought the baby back to its chest and rolled its fiery eyes. "Adolescents. What troublesome creatures!"

"Troublesome." Russia glanced at England. "Why is this so funny?"

"Because our universe is not one in which personifications don't exist, young man!" Solntse patted Russia's cheek, singing the scruff that had grown over the last day. "There are universes that are quiet, but we live in one in which sentient beings give us life. Oh, I wonder if she didn't get this silly idea from one of her siblings, or a younger star, someone familiar with the multiverse. Why, if any were to attempt to ban a personification to the realm of ideas, that personification would simply be born again, devoid of its memories, but still very much whatever they personify!" It looked at the baby in its arms. "And that explains your infancy, my dear. Well, perhaps I'll leave you this way for a while before giving you back your memories. That will certainly teach you a lesson."

"My god, they aren't gone," England said faintly. "They're out there! All of them! Every nation, somewhere within their borders! They're just -"

"Amnesic babies," Russia finished.

"That's right," Solntse said happily. "See? No harm done in the long run. Now, I must go. Don't worry about her, I'll give her a few thousand years to think about what she's done. That should be ample punishment." Solnse began to fade, the infant Earth with her. "Be safe, boys!" She disappeared.

"Hah!" England jumped up and punched a fist in the air. "They're all safe and sound! We haven't lost a single nation! They're just - we just have to -" he blanched.

"We just have to find every single one and return their memories," Russia said somberly. "A single child in each nation."

"That'll take decades," England said, his face drooping. His eyes grew wide. "Oh, bugger. Oh, hell. Oh, _fuck_." He clenched his hand on his chest. "_We're still under China's spell_. Our people are still cut off from their nation! The other nations are alright, but what about us?"

Russia shrugged. "We can find a way to reverse the spell."

"Yes! Okay." England began pacing and tearing at his hair. "It was a blood spell. China needed the blood of a human to activate it. Perhaps the blood of a nation -"

"A nation which we will have to find," Russia cut in.

"Yes, we'll have to find -"

"A _child nation_, which we will have to find and then cut and draw blood from," Russia said placidly. "If we find him or her."

"Christ, it will be like searching for the proverbial needle!" England rubbed his face. "One child in each nation. One child out of millions! Months! Years! Oh, god, how long can my people last? Russia, what will we do?" He grabbed Russia by the collar. "I don't want my land a smoking ruin! I don't want people to be fighting, confused and not really knowing why for years! What are we going to -"

Russia pulled one of the daggers from his belt and stabbed England in the chest. England pushed away from Russia, grasping at the dagger's handle, but his hand flew through the rapidly fading weapon. Soon it was gone, leaving nothing but an extra hole in England's well-tattered shirt.

"What did you do?" England shook with fury. "What the hell did you do?" He tackled Russia, and they landed hard on the ground as England punched at Russia's gut and face. Russia wrestled with him, twisting England off of his body and kicking out and he struggled to his feet.

"Stop!" Russia bellowed. "It would not have worked if you were not willing!"

England's breath was ragged. He pulled himself up to his knees and glowered at Russia. "You raging, spittle-covered -"

"Yes, yes," Russia said placidly. "And yet, the dagger worked."

England continued to glare at Russia. "It was a moment of weakness," he hissed. "The exhaustion, the assault on my...the memories, the..."

"The girl?" Russia flashed a wide grin. "Come now, you think I did not hear you talking to yourself by the fire last night?"

England blushed a high red. "That had nothing to do with it!"

"Relax, England." Russia crouched next to him and scrabbled his hair. "The truth is, you are that worried for your people. And so am I. My people tend to get a little crazy in unstable times." He pulled the other dagger from his belt. "But we both know, this is the easiest way. Our people will be safer without us." He flipped the dagger in his hand and stabbed himself, cringing as the metal hit his heart. As it faded, he felt a distant part of himself grow lighter - and empty. Then the sensation was gone. He rolled his shoulders. "That was not so bad."

"So that's it? We're human?" England touched his cheek, realization crashing in. "My god, we're human?"

"So it seems." Russia laid back on the grass and looked up at the sky.

They were silent for a moment, soaking in the sound of the forest.

"So, what now?" England said hesitantly. "I've never not had somewhere to be. What do humans do with all their time?"

"Go to school?" Russia shrugged. "Build things? They watch a lot of television. Some of them knit."

"Start businesses," England continued. "Travel. Travel for pleasure! That would be different. Build empires..."

"Ha! Create nations, yes."

England sat back on his heels. "Somewhere far away, a new Russia and a new England are being born."

"That is how the Sun said it works." Russia smiled slowly. "That does sound a little ridiculous when one says it aloud."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

England waved a hand above his head. "But they have no memories. None of the nations do." He shook his head, rising to his feet. "We can't leave them that way. A nation with no memory is doomed to repeat old sins. I can't do that to a young England."

"Then we will find them!" Russia said jovially, throwing a fist into his palm. "We will travel the world, looking for the nation children. We can give them back their memories. Look!" He threw his arms open wide. "We even have a spell to work with already!"

"Lady Tara's memory spell," England whispered, twirling slowly and staring out at the forest. "We can link something to the big circle, like the sacrifices' daggers were linked to the smaller circle! More daggers -"

"I do not wish to stab tiny children," Russia admonished, holding up a hand.

"Well, we'll think of something." England looked down at his clothes. "What on earth are we still here for? Come on!" He ran off into the forest.

Russia sat up, shrugged and followed. "Why the sudden hurry," Russia huffed when he caught up.

"Because I'm dirty, and hungry, and all of a sudden the only responsibility I have in the world is spending my life going on a massive scavenger hunt," England said merrily. "I very much want to celebrate with a bath."

They ran to the edge of the forest and up to the foot of the mountains surrounding it. The barrier spell was gone.

"Look, there." England pointed at a narrow pass separating two of the mountains. They squeezed through for a number of meters, then stumbled out into the blowing sand of the Sahara. From the outside, the mountains appeared to be giant dunes stretching up to the sky. Not far away, their plane waited in the sand, its wheels partially buried. They worked to free the plane, their already ruined clothes becoming yellowed with sand.

"Will we be safe leaving the circle behind without attaching the memory spell to something first?" Russia asked, concern etching his face.

"You mean, do you think we'll be able to find it again?" England opened the cockpit door. "Russia, it's a bloody forest in the middle of the Sahara desert. We'll be lucky if people don't spot it and start making pilgrimages before we get a decent meal in us."

They climbed into the plane, England checking over the controls before starting the engine. The plane rolled over the dunes, and he maneuvered it to a flatter location.

Russia held on to his seatbelt, a thought hitting him. "Now that we are human, we can die from bad accidents, yes?"

"Well, I suppose so," England said, distracted by the controls.

"Ah." Russia paled. "Do not crash the plane, England."

"Yes, thank you!" England throttled the engine, and the plane took off, shaking as the sand buffeted it during its ascent. It cleared the sand and rose high into the air, becoming a bright spec in the blue sky.


	22. Epilogue 1

Mei sat in the cafe, sipping her coffee. It was her new thing - traveling to each nation and sampling a coffee from their best cafes. She had tried a lot of new things in the last few years. The money left in the account from her days as a sacrifice pursuing her prey had not yet run out, and though she was a little worried about what to do when it did - go to China? forge paperwork? continue to hop around? - the joy she had in simply living life kept her from worrying too much.

"Do you mind if I take a seat?" A man...a woman? ... slid in the chair across from her. Her heart began to pound. "Oh please, don't pop away," the person said, their thin eyes crinkling as they smiled. They pulled a silver case from their jacket pocket, opened it, and removed a long, thin cigarette. "I've had the hardest time finding you, and I really would rather you stay and talk to me a while." They lit their cigarette and blew out a small puff of smoke.

"How did you find me?" Mei trembled. "I'll go -"

"And I'll find you. Again, I'd rather we not play this hide and seek game." They sighed. "As to how I found you, simple." They shrugged. "Spies. My associate likes to pretend that they're omniscient through magic, but oh, it's just scads and scads of spies, all over the world all watching for girls who pop."

"I think this is a nonsmoking place," Mei said nervously, glancing around.

"Is it?" They smiled and extended a hand. "I'm Lan Caihe. Please, call me Lan. And you are Mei, I presume?"

Mei hesitated a moment before shaking Lan's hand. "Are you here to kill me?" She asked, lifting her chin.

Lan laughed and took another drag from their cigarette. "Absolutely not. Actually, it's quite the opposite! You see, I have an associate. You've met him, I believe."

"China?" Mei's voice was hard.

"Yes, that's his name currently." Lan flicked ash and smiled. "You see, he came to me before getting into some dangerous business, as he called it. Told me that he may not survive, but that if I didn't die - it's a long story - I should seek you out and give you his offer." They reached in their jacket again and pulled out a peach, setting it on the table and rolling it around with their palm. "My associate has a passion for citizens of his that show unusual qualities. You have sparked his interest."

"Really?" Mei crossed her arms. "How wonderful."

"It really is." Lan tossed their spent cigarette and held up the peach. "He's offering you immortality. Or as close as a human can get to it. You link his life to his, and you will not age or die until he does. Sound interesting?"

"That's impossible," Mei scoffed.

"What, like a girl who can pop herself all over the world? And trust me, darling." They lit another cigarette. "It's not impossible."

Mei stared at them for a moment. "Lan Caihe. Like from the stories?"

Lan's smile widened. "Like from the stories."

"But why?" Mei whispered. "Why me?"

"You'll have to ask him." They shrugged. "And funnily enough, I can't find him anywhere. Now the choice is yours my dear." They stood up from the table and held out the peach. "Do with it what you will."

Mei paused a moment before taking the peach. Lan smiled, bowed, and walked away, waving a hand above their head.

"So ridiculous," Mei muttered, staring at the peach. She chewed on her lip. "Well. It looks like a nice peach, anyway."

She took a bite, the juice flowing over her chin


	23. Epilogue 2

Elizabeth ran as fast as she could through the park, the toddler whining on her hip.

"Oh, do go on," she huffed. "Really, can you be any louder?"

She ran to a copse of trees and leaned against one, catching her breath. She looked out to see if she was still pursued - at some point she must have lost them, the nursery maid and the policeman. It wasn't the first time she had run from the police, but kidnapping was certainly a first.

"You got him?"

Elizabeth cried out, then held her chest. "England, I could kill you."

"Not England anymore, love." He walked into the copse and gave her a kiss, repositioning a satchel on his shoulder. "Arthur. That one there is England now."

"Not in front of the baby." Elizabeth smacked his shoulder and put the crying child on the ground. "When he has his memories again, I don't want him to be sore."

"Oh, I cleaned his up just a little." Elizabeth gave him a hard look. "Not that much! Just a few things, like his certain interest in a certain young Queen. No need filling his head with things like that. He has all the other stuff - wars, victories, many hours of sailing." He removed a small crown of vines from the satchel. "Now you're sure you pinched the right one?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said with irritation. "You think you can trust a woman to steal the right child from an orphanage."

"Well, we'll know in a moment, anyway." Arthur plopped the crown on top of the weeping toddler's head. The boy's eyes glowed, and there was a dazzle of light. Suddenly, he was a full grown man, dressed in short pants. He blinked and stood, taking the crown from his head, confused.

"The last thing I remember, Russia had stabbed me," he said, rubbing his chest.

"Yes, that would be right." Arthur smiled.

"And then, I was small..."

"Right again!"

England cocked his head and focused on Arthur. "But that must mean -"

"Yes, I am."

"And then I -"

"Yes, you are."

"Oh." England looked down at his clothes and then back at Arthur. "Well, this is rather awkward."

"You'll get used to it. Now go on, I'm sure your boss will be thrilled to see you!"

"My boss!" England slapped his forehead. "It's been years! Oh, he will throw a _fit_."

"I'm sure." Arthur took Elizabeth's hand. "But you'll be alright. We're off, then!"

"Okay, well. Thank you!" England narrowed his eyes and pointed at Elizabeth. "Wait. Don't I know you?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, darling. I'm from a long time ago. Now shoo!" She waved a hand at him. "Put some clothes on!"

"Oh. Right." England blushed and took a step, and was gone.

Arthur sighed. "I do miss being able to do that," he said.

"Come now." Elizabeth pulled him from the trees. "Going the long way is the best part of traveling. Then you get to see everything! Now, who's next?"

Arthur pulled a list from his pocket. "Erm. Cameroon."

"Then to Cameroon we go!" She flung an arm around his waist, and they walked off, laughing.


	24. Epilogue 3

The little girl swung by herself, lonely and alone. The other children tended to avoid her, though she wasn't sure why. When she would come to join them, they would ignore her, or worse play too rough, and then there were hurt knees and tears. She snuffled a bit. It was getting cold again. She would have to convince the grown ups that she indeed needed a coat. They remembered her sometimes, enough to feed her, but clothes were harder. Clothes were planned for, and they often forgot to count her at the children's home.

"Hello, little one."

She looked up. A man was holding on to the swing next to her. He was not very old, but certainly a grown up, and very tall. He sat down on the swing and placed a bag on his lap.

"Why are you crying, girl?"

"Because I am cold," she mumbled. "And because the other children don't like me. And because I am alone."

"Oh, little one, you are not alone." The man pulled a small crown of vines from his bag. "You are very special, I promise. More special than any of the other children."

"Nu uh." The girl lower in the swing. "No one likes me."

The man laughed. "So many people like you. They love you. Would you like to see?" He held up the crown to her. "Put it on and see."

The girl glanced at him, dubious, then took the crown and placed it on her head. Her eyes lit up. Memories poured into her head, more than she ever thought she could handle. More than she thought were possible. She gasped, blinked and shook her head, staring at her now adult hands. She looked at the man and broke into a wide, joyful smile.

"Little brother!" She cried, jumping from the swing and squeezing him. "I cannot believe it! I thought - the last thing I remember before this childhood was looking up at you - oh, it is so good to see you!" She pulled away and narrowed her eyes. "But, you're older!" She took his chin and jerked his head around. "You have gray hair! And wrinkles around your eyes!"

He chuckled. "That is what people do, Ukraine. They age."

"Must have been a hard few years for you, then, Russia," she said with a frown.

His face fell a bit. "Not Russia, sister. Not anymore."

Ukraine shook her head a bit, confused. "What does that mean? Not anymore."

He smiled sadly. "I had to make a choice. For my people." He pushed Ukraine away gently. "You may call me Ivan."

Ukraine's eyes widened. She took his face in her hands. "You - are you human, brother?" Ivan did not answer. He stood and shouldered the bag. Ukraine stood with him, growing increasingly angry. "You are _human_? You gave up!" She threw up her hands. "I tell you to fight, and you give up! How could you? How -"

"Hush." Ivan covered her mouth and gave her a look. "I was trapped in a spell that would have taken far too long to break for my people to survive. I made a choice. But we won the war, Ukraine. Believe me."

Ukraine pulled his hand away, her eyes wide. "But if you are no longer a nation -"

Ivan sighed. "Do not cry."

"Then that means you will grow older and older -"

"Do not cry, sister."

"My god, your life will be over in a few years!" she sobbed.

"I am not dead," he said, exasperated. "Do not throw me in the grave yet!"

"I can't - I can't help it." She wept into her sleeve. "I said I would protect you, and I failed. Oh my god, I failed you!"

"No." He took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You said that you would protect a small child nation. And you did, Ukraine. I grew up. I became Russia. I had many years of success. And now, I am Ivan." He smiled. "It is not such a bad thing. And Russia? He is still out there somewhere, a little boy in the woods." He hugged her tight and held her for a moment before letting her go and moving away.

"What will you do when you find that Russia?" Ukraine said, her voice faint.

Ivan smiled. "I will send him to you. He will be your brother, as much as I. He will remember you, as you remember me." He walked off. "Treat him well when I do!"

"I will!" Ukraine called through her tears. "But you had better visit too, little brother."

Ivan turned and shot her a smile. "Of course! I am not dead yet, big sister!"

The End

* * *

And this concludes my Russia series (and I suppose England as well :P) I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing!


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